Eyes on Fire
by xbloodlustangelx
Summary: What if Eric meet someone that wasn't hung up on another vampire, yet still resisited his charms? What if he met a girl just as "special" as Sookie? Would he stick with the telepath or move on to bigger and better things? Eric & O/C
1. Strong is the ego that I want to test

**A/N: This story starts post season two and pre season three. And I will not be following the events of season three. It's an alternative storyline. However I did get the idea from a promo shown on HBO when Eric and Pam were auditioning dancers. I took the premise and made it my own. Hope you all enjoy it. Also want to note there is talk of pole dancing in the story (not to spoil anything) but if you'd like to get a feel for how the female lead performs I styled her performance off of great pole dancing champions Jenyne Butterfly and Felix. Check them out on youtube. And please please review!**

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Eric's cornflower blue eyes watched as girl after girl climbed upon the stage, his loyal Pam at his side. Auditioning new dancers sounded like a good idea. Until he was forced to endure the horrible and cliché attempts at girls, who had no right to be in skimpy clothing, grinding against a pole like amateurs, while trying to be sexy and macabre. The female upon the stage now was lithe with little curves and skin that was obviously powdered to appear lighter. Her hair was dyed a flat black and her make up was a pallet of black and grays. Not the look he was hoping for.

These were obviously groupies that wanted to work in a vampire bar and wanted to appear like they belonged there. So they drew from every terrible gothic cliché they could find. Sadly for them he was looking for a human dancer, one that was out there to entice his vampire clientele. He needed sun kissed skin, curvy and nubile bodies that were ruddy with life. Not the pallor of the undead writhing about the stage, he had actual undead dancers to serve the need of his clientele that still possessed a heart beat.

He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair, his eyes frozen in boredom. He shifted his eyes to the small stopwatch on his table between him and Pam. Now he really regretted promising the women he'd give them a full three minutes to perform. As a tinny beeping filled the air he actually felt his lips curl in a smile, happy to have survived the ordeal.

"Thank You." Was all he said and all he had to say. They all knew what that meant, the unspoken, 'you may now leave, we aren't interested', rang loud and clear. The girl actually seemed to tear up as she exited the stage quickly. He looked to the line, only one more girl left. He nodded at her and was slightly glad this one at least looked human. She was oozing sex as she sauntered up to the stage. The music began and the girl started to do her dance. She was much better than an amateur, that was for sure.

The sound of the door behind them opening took his attention away, and much to his dismay another girl entered in, and waited in what was now the empty queue. Although he had to say she was an improvement to all the other girls, even the one currently on stage. She had crimson locks and a startling set of sea green eyes, that were nearly piercing and surprisingly devoid of emotion as they met his gaze. He was surprised at her choice of clothing since she wore a pair of black cargo pants and a simple black girl tee, with a set of flip flops, which starkly contrasted to the kind of outfit's the girls performing prior had chosen. The girl on stage was a good example. She wore a leopard print bikini that was skimpy and barely covered her ample and obviously fake bosom. He returned to watching the girl on the stage.

**…**

Taryn began peeling off her clothes, knowing she couldn't perform in her street clothes. She was lucky she'd even made it. She'd gotten a flat tire on her car on the way, and had to change the damn thing herself. Which wasn't new, she'd been alone for quite some time so doing things herself was business as usual. She started strapping on her heels as she watched the girls performance. Since she was the only one left and the blonde vampire with his female sidekick seemed interested as they watched her. She had to give the girl props she knew her way around a pole, but she could tell they were not going to be competition for each other.

The girl on stage had her fingers on the sexual pulse. She slithered and writhed and shook her ass at appropriate times. Her tricks were seriously minimal, just simple twists and slight lifts. People didn't realize that there were many types of pole dancers, the girl before her was more towards the sexual stripper, while Taryn was more of a pole dancing athlete. They were two completely different flavors of dancers so which ever flavor the vamps were looking for hopefully they'd find it. Since they had polar opposites to choose from.

The song ended and the blonde vampire asked for the girl to stay, which wasn't the greatest of news but it seemed to be down to the two of them, so asking for their only other option to stick around was smart. She may not love vampires but she didn't hate them. Plus they were safe, surprisingly enough, and she really needed to be safe right now. Plus a vampire's hours were superb for her, since she was very much a starving artist or dancer rather. The blonde vampire turned towards her, his eyebrow quirking as soon as he laid eyes on her. He then nodded his head and she walked up to the stage, heels clacking on the wood as she made her way to the pole.

The song she'd chosen was a favorite of hers, "Meat" By Tony Iommi featuring Skin. It had a nice slow flow to it, which let her groove to the sensual vibe as she performed, and also allowed her to do all her best pole work. She was glad to see that the pole was one of the longer ones that ran from the stage floor up to the ceiling which allowed her to get some nice height. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, connecting with the music and feeling each move and pull of her body, that way the moves flowed into each other and didn't just look like a set of moves thrown together to music. She let the music flow through her and floated away as she performed.

**…**

Now this was a surprise. When he turned to look at the new girl, she'd changed her outfit to something more suitable, yet still demure in comparison to the other girls. She wore, if he was correct in his memory of what they were called now a days, what seemed to be a simple pair of black boy shorts that only hinted at the ampleness of her pert rear-end, and the top looked like some kind of black sports bra, which again gave only a hint of the lush curves it hid. Her shoes were a black set of break neck heels, which was customary pole dancing requirement, however she was the only one that seemed to own a pair that you couldn't see through. All in all she showed enough skin but still hid the goods, which was a surprising tease.

He watched with actual interest as she took the stage, and closed her eyes with a deep breath that she let out slowly. She began moving to the music, her body moving in slow and synchronized waves to the beat, and as the music crescendoed for the chorus she did a spin that was actually rather impressive even to him. It started out with a two hand hold above her head only for her to drop a hand and spin one handed, then grab the pole behind her back, before lowering herself back to the ground. As the music kicked into the second verse it returned to a slow sensual tempo. She then began what he figured was the true show of her abilities. She started ascending the pole in a rather remarkable fashion.

Pressing her back to the pole and using her upper body strength she lifted her feet off the ground and moved them above her head in a split so that she hung upside-down on the pole. Then she hooked her legs on the pole climbed higher with her hands only to lift her legs in the same fashion and repeated this till she was a good fifteen feet off the floor. When she went into what seemed to be her first true trick, he felt Pam turn to look at him with mild amusement. He didn't turn to look at her, his eyes were trained on the surprise on the pole. He'd been ready to tell her to leave, since she'd shown up late, which was not a good first impression to make with a possible employer, but he'd been feeling charitable. Now he was glad he'd given her a shot. Each move was a sensual show of the physical prowess of her body, and all and all a very sexy and still utterly feminine demonstration of her physical strength.

When the song ended he felt the corner of his lips tug, as the girl let the music fade off while she remained in her ending position. He watched as she took a breath and closed her eyes for a moment as if she was returning from a trance. She stood up from the floor and looked to him with expectant eyes, but other than that she did nothing, asked no questions, she didn't even grow flustered as he took his sweet time to give her any sign as to what he thought of her performance.

Which pretty much sealed the deal on his choice. The girl that had performed just before her was good, a pro for sure, but she was all obvious sex. The girl still on stage was like a poster girl for healthy vibrant human life, which was exactly what he needed to tantalize his vampiric clientele and she didn't squirm under pressure or harsh scrutiny. He knew exactly which one he wanted, but ever the opportunist he wanted to see how much he could get out of it before he made his final decision. Maybe pitting them up against one another might come out with delicious bonuses for him.

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_**Chapter Title/Song Lyrics**_

_**"Meat" by Tony Iommi Feat. Skin**_

**You taste what you want from me**

**You taste all of the gristle from the bones I need**

**To stand up to you**

**To live up to fools**

**It's too troubling**

**Can't take what you like from me**

**Can't take all of the vision that your money thieves**

**Don't be careless now**

**Just a pretty babe**

**A cool covering**

**You can't hide, no**

**You can't hide the way you feel**

**You're just dead inside this meat**

**That you're smothering**

**You can't run, no**

**You just stumble, crash and cry**

**Without asking questions why**

**It's all crumbling**

**Dark eyes, beauty's never cheap**

**Dark hair, dark lips maybe that I want to cheat**

**See my sorry face**

**In this love that fails**

**It's all good for me**

**Slick baby that ain't worrying**

**Slick rage, strong is the ego that I want to test**

**In your head of lies**

**Cut me down to size**

**It's all credible**

**You can't hide, no**

**You can't hide the way you feel**

**You're just dead inside this meat**

**That you're smothering**

**You can't run, no**

**You just stumble, crash and cry**

**Without asking questions why**

**Pure fear that you're falling for**

**These tears, thick in the sadness that was running before**

**Welling up in dread**

**For a softer bed**

**I'm not worrying**

**You're so sane, all the lines you shed**

**So cool, so good, the picture for those crazy hoods**

**Got this gun for keeps**

**Stick it in this meat**

**I'm not hurrying**

**You can't hide, no**

**You can't hide the way you feel**

**You're just dead inside this meat**

**That you're smothering**

**You can't run, no**

**You just stumble, crash and cry**

**Without asking questions why**

**It's all crumbling**

**You can't hide, no**

**You can't hide the way you feel**

**You're just dead inside this meat**

**That you're smothering**

**That you're smothering**

**That you're smothering**


	2. Suddenly I will play my Ace

**A/N: I wanna say a big thank you to kpkisses, powergirl24 and LestatWhore for the reviews. And please everyone feel free to review! I wanna try and get a chapter up each week, but I'm not gonna hold my breath on that one. Still if I know I have people reading it that might make me keep up the typing so please pester away :D!**

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Taryn waited with patience she really didn't possess for the vamp to give her some kind of clue as to what she should do. Finally he motioned for the other dancer to come back up on stage. Which wasn't great news but he didn't give her the heave-ho so it wasn't awful. So she stayed put as the girl climbed the stairs. Taryn gave a warm 'hey great performance' to the girl to show that there was no hard feelings either way but all she got was an icy 'thanks' in return. So with a shrug she returned her attention to the vampires sitting across from the stage, or more likely the blonde vampire with the air of authority pouring off of him.

"What are your names?" He asked and his voice was like a wave of cool water washing over her. She had to force herself not to shiver and while she focused on doing such the other girl used her pause to chime in first.

"Sky." The girl said in a pleasant and overly sexed way.

"What's your real name?" He asked.

"Amber." the girl said and Taryn saw the vampire catch her gaze, and she stilled. Not that she'd been moving a lot but humans are fidgeters. They shift their weight from one foot to another, crack their knuckles, play with their hair, move their hands to rest on their hips then at their sides. But the other dancer went completely still and Taryn knew even before the tingle of his power spilled over her skin and rose goose bumps on her flesh, that the girl next to her was getting glamoured. Which meant' he'd do the same to her as well. Normally that wouldn't be a problem except she was immune to glamouring. She started to prepare herself, to put on the best act of her life or she was done for before she even got the job. Vamps didn't like having employees they couldn't erase all their dirty little secrets from.

"What's your real name?" He asked the other girl again.

"Jane." She said, her voice softer and monotone.

"Very nice Jane, and you?" He turned his piercing gaze on her and she smiled, like she didn't know what had just happened to the girl who was shaking her head and blushing a little.

"My name's Taryn." She said, her smile never wavering.

"And your real name." He asked, his voice still sending a chill down her spine.

"Taryn." She said again mentally preparing herself what she knew was going to come next. Then the chill increased, turning from a cool caress of her skin to total freeze over, with pinpricks of cold, damn near slicing into her flesh. She forced herself to still and keep his gaze, not even allowing herself to blink.

"What's your real name?" He asked her once more.

"Taryn." She said a third and final time with little infliction in her voice. Then the cold just disappeared, and she had to force herself not to rub her arms in the hopes of returning the heat back to her flesh. She simply shook her head a little like Jane had done, as if she'd just come out of a trance. Since the vampire didn't mention anything or tell her to get out of his club, she figured he didn't realize she'd never gone under, which wasn't unusual. Knowing when to pretend to be glamoured had saved her ass a few times in her life.

"Interesting." He said and again his voice came like a caress over her skin. " Well Jane and Taryn, here's my problem. You both are very qualified for this job and complete polar opposites. So either one of you would be a perfect fit at Fangtasia. However I only have one opening to be filled. So what I need to know is which one of you are going make my hiring you worth my while." He smiled wide with a mischievous glare in his eyes.

**…**

He watched as the saucy redhead named Taryn sighed and rolled her beautiful blue-green eyes. Which was interesting, probably more interesting than her name. Which was serendipity at it best, really. A beautiful girl that embodied everything he wanted to present to his clientele with an exotic name already to go. She was saving him a fortune in marketing and she didn't even know it. If things went his way he'd be featuring her. Her reluctance to go for the obvious bribes however was icing on the cake. He could find a fang banger any day of the week, but a girl that would be a true tease to his vamps was like money in the bank. Plus she wasn't boring.

"I'd do a lot more than just dance." Jane said and that was the typical answer he expected of her, but still he played along, making that seem like the answer he was hoping for.

"Is that so? And what about you Taryn?" He turned his eyes to her and could see the sideways dirty look she gave Jane.

"Well I'm a fully licensed bartender and I've waited tables at a few establishments all of which are on a resume I can give to you with contact information and references. So I can do any job on this floor that needs filling if there's ever a night you're short on staff." She said with a terse smile, trying to impress his head for business, rather than the other head he possessed.

"That's very good to know." He said and his eyes returned to Jane. "Now could you top that?" He asked and Jane looked like she was a little ill at ease, then she recovered.

"Well I'm not that good behind the bar or working as a waitress but there are plenty of other places I can be of use." She said preening her hand playing at her neck as she gave him a sultry stare, his eyes immediately left her to look at Taryn, her reaction was the only one he wanted to see, and it didn't disappoint, she looked like she was going to be sick.

"And you?" He questioned and she stared at him like she could spit fire from her eyes and fully wished to do so at this moment. She paused looking at him, but he could see the cogs churning in her head as she mulled over her words. A person that chose her words carefully was a good employee to have. After a moment she gave an angry shake to her head.

"If you'll let me use the stage after closing so that I can have dance practice, I'll work for minimum wage." She said obviously hating to have to stoop to that level. Jane shot her a nasty look, that was just comical really. Since she'd been just as happy to offer up her blood and body for what he'd advertised as the pay to get the job. But it was a horrible thought to do actual work for less money. But she rallied, sure that her offer was better. If only she really knew the truth.

"I'd let you use the stage after hours, but only after a two week probation period." He said.

"Fair enough." She said with a nod and Jane gave a confused glace to them both, starting to grow wary.

"Then Jane." He started the girl turned her eyes to him with a brilliant smile. "You are free to go, thank you for your time." He said and he watched her visibly crumbled before she gave a curt nod and walked off the stage with a parting nasty look to Taryn. When she was gone from the room he gave Taryn a smile as he stood up from the table and walked over to the stage.

**…**

His lope was sensual and lethal like a big jungle cat stalking his pray. If Taryn wasn't what she was she'd definitely feel like the frightened little bird as he sauntered towards her. Even though she didn't need to feel scared of the vamp, she couldn't stop the trill down her spine. He extended his hand towards her and she gave him a genuine yet still wary smile.

"Then you're hired." He said his hand still held out towards her.

"Great." She said as she put her hand lightly in his and they shook.

"Now would you care to join me in my office where we can discuss the details." He said as he let her hand go.

"Umm… Yes of course." She said and the other vampire joined them, holding Taryn's bag and clothes in her hand. She handed them to Taryn and Taryn thanked her softly.

"Am I allowed to come back for this discussion?" She asked.

"No Pam, that's quite alright, I can handle this discussion from here." He said, and the girl vampire named Pam gave him a look.

"No fair Eric, You always keep the hot ones for yourself." She said in their native Swedish.

"No need to be jealous Pam, I'm actually going to talk business for once, this one seems to resist the sway of our kind." he said responding in Swedish as well. Taryn had to force herself not to smile.

"Yes, this one does." Taryn said to the both of them answering them in Swedish herself. They both turned to her with a surprised glance. And she simply gave a shrug as she started pulling on her cargo pants and girl tee, before slipping off her heels, and slipping back on her flip flops.

"Interesting… very interesting." The vampire named Eric said to what seemed like no one in particular. He then waived off Pam who gave him a dirty look and walked away. He then gestured for her to follow him. She jumped off the stage and moved to his side.

"If I asked you a question would you answer me truthfully?" She asked him.

"I'll try, but no promises." He said with a devilish smile, as he led them towards the edge of the stage, putting his hand on the door to the back, but not opening it.

"You know at first I wasn't sure which one of us you really liked, but you were going to pick me all along weren't you?" She asked, having to crane her neck to look up at him He gave her another wicked grin.

"I was." He said. "But now I get you for cheaper. Now if I asked you a question would you answer me truthfully?"

"I'll try but no promises." She said with a smile to match his own. He gave a light shake of his head as she turned his own joke back on him.

"Were you really glamoured?" He asked and she froze still, the color draining from her face, which as soon as it happened she knew it was better than answering him.

"No." She said all humor sucked out from her features, now for the first time she showed some kind of fear, but not as much as he'd expect. He then opened the door on to a dark hallway.

"Interesting, very interesting." He said that sly grin returning to his face as he gestured for her to enter into the darkness.


	3. You're playing with fire

**A/N: I want to give a big thank you to LestatWhore again, Godricismine12 and Hime4Life for you're wonderful reviews. For all those that are interested I have posted a link on my profile, that has a banner for my story. You'll get to see what Taryn looks like in my head. I also want to say that I'm having so much fun writing this and I'm so thrilled you all enjoy it. Usually I can't pump out a new chapter so quickly but knowing that there are people out there enjoying my writing is just making the story flow all the quicker. Hopefully I can keep it up. Again Thanks to everyone to reviewed and thanks to everyone that is reading my story. Stay tuned for more.**

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Taryn's heart pounded franticly, thumping against her ribs like a frightened bird trapped in a cage. Why the hell hadn't she lied. Sure her face had drained of color and it was probably better than any kind of words she'd spoken, but she still should have lied. Played stupid or something. She was an impeccable liar, it's what helped her survive in this world so long, but some how looking into those hypnotic eyes she just couldn't lie. Maybe he had glamoured her after all.

Even though she was pretty sure this vampire was going to snap her scrawny neck and dump her in a backwoods swamp somewhere, her feet moved forward taking her into the darkness before her, knowing he followed behind. As soon as they were in what seemed like a hallway he closed the door behind them, cutting off the little light from the club and blanketing them in darkness. She reminded herself to relax, knowing he could hear her heart beating against her chest like it wanted to break free of her body.

She stepped forward timidly, and jumped as she felt his hand descend upon her shoulder and grip lightly. She felt the weight of his presence at her back and knew he moved closer towards her by the light whisper of his clothing moving near. His cold breath trickled over her neck and ear, and she shivered.

"Relax." She heard him say but his request for her to calm down did little to alleviate her nerves. He started guiding her through the hallway with a hand on her shoulder lightly nudging her in the right direction. She lifted her hands out in front of her, not trusting him to keep her from walking into a wall. With a gentle press of his hand she stopped, and sure enough as she extended her fingers slightly she felt the cool press of what she assumed was a door from the textured surface. His presence behind her suddenly became overwhelming as she felt him step closer, his front pressing against her back. His hand slid between her arm and her waist as he reached for the door knob, his other hand still holding her still. He'd corralled her, trapped her between his body and the door, his breath still slithering along her skin, and leaving trills in it's wake. She felt her breath catch in her throat and fear stuttered her heart, and his cool confident chuckle rumbled out of his chest and resounded in the air.

Which was the perfect thing he could have done in that moment. This whole time the shock of him realizing she'd been pretending to be under his spell had her in a daze, unsure of the situation, afraid for her safety. But his laughter finally clued her into the obvious. He was only toying with her, showing his strength and control over someone he considered to be weaker than him… and she grew angry. Which was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it stopped her fear dead in it's tracks, even sent it into reverse. A curse because her anger was so hard to corral and anytime she lost control, horrible and terrible things happened.

**…**

Now he was really enjoying himself. Their little banter as they'd walked to the door had been entertaining, but the patter of her terror filled heart was like a symphony to his ears. He'd almost wished he had some kind of device on hand that could record it so he could play it back at another time. But as he trapped her between him and the door, something happened, something that was enough to strike him stupid, and that didn't happen often. The melody of her fear filled heartbeat, simply stilled, slowed to a pace that he almost questioned, and actually worried he'd caused her to go into some kind of mild cardiac infarction. A small growl escaped her lips and he felt her hand brush against his as it hovered over the knob to his office. That one small touch was like a brushfire as she smacked his hand away and turned the knob herself, flinging the door open with such a force the resulting smash resounded ominously in the silence that had preceded it.

She walked the few steps in and he could see the outline of her body as she twirled about to face him, his eyes sight was far better than her, but he couldn't see complete details in pitch darkness. But he saw enough to know that he surely wanted to seem more. His hand found the light switch and sure enough the sight he saw once the room was illuminated didn't disappoint. The anger that rolled through her body was there in her eyes flaring like a raging fire. Her skin had grown a little red, her hair was a mussed up fall of crimson locks, and she almost panted, her breathing coming in short bursts from between her clenched teeth. If it wasn't for the acerbic glare she gave him, one could easily deduce that the actions had excited rather than enraged her. But there was no mistaking the rage that swelled within her.

"You know, I thought you were smarter than this. Getting pissy with a vampire, isn't a bright thing to do." He said calmly, closing the door behind him and stepping around her, almost ignoring her as he moved to sit at his desk. He propped his feet up on the desk and reclined back looking like a man without a care in the world. She spun to face him, her hair doing that wonderful flare about her as she did, that same spark of fire consuming her gaze.

"I'm not…." She began to exclaim and he arched a brow at her. She shut her mouth suddenly, eyes never leaving his. She stared silently for a moment and he didn't blink an eye. There was a tense moment before she suddenly closed her eyes. Her brow scrunched as she as if were concentrating on something, and all of a sudden they smoothed out and a serene look came upon her features as she release a breath. The atmosphere suddenly felt calmer, as if her anger had been affecting the very air, the tension becoming an actual thickness that clouded around them. As she opened her eyes those startling sea green orbs looked at him with a look that wasn't happy but was far from angry.

"I don't like being reminded of my vulnerability, I'm…." She paused a grimace coming over her features for a split second. "sorry… that I got angry." She said almost chocking over the word sorry as she spoke. Eric simply looked her over for a moment, before finally moving.

"I can understand that, and apology accepted. Now please." He said as she sat up and gestured for her to take the couch along side his desk. She looked to it for a moment before moving towards it and plopping down into the soft leather, very unceremoniously.

"Are you going to kill me?" She said suddenly and the calm that she asked the questioned with was actually a little surprising. Normally one would be a little fearful if they thought they needed to ask that question.

"Of course not, I can't make money off of you if you're dead, and I intend to make a fortune off of you." He said with a smile.

"So the whole not being glamoured thing… not a problem for you?" She said her eyes looking at him like she didn't quite believe him.

"Not at all, you're not the first I've met that is immune to glamouring. You're the first that's been smart enough to fake it though. Can I ask you how you came upon this little immunity you have?" He asked.

"I didn't come upon it, I was born that way." She stated mater-of-factly, although she seemed a little surprised when he'd mentioned he'd known others that were immune to glamouring.

"Can you hear other people thoughts?" He queried.

"No… sometimes I can barely hear my own… why do you ask?" She countered, her brows scrunching in a little bit of confusion.

"No particular reason." He said dismissively.

"Look, I'm really nothing special, I'm just some kind of nullifier or void, I knew a kinetic telepath a few years back and when ever she touched me she got nothing. So I dunno maybe I'm just broken or something but it's never worked on me, trust me what ever I see I'm not dumb enough to repeat, ever, and I'm good at being able to continue on in life like nothing's happened." She said and he could see there was a genuineness to her words, but he knew that didn't mean she was telling the truth, only that she believed her words enough they came off as the truth.

"You're more than special… that's for sure, I'm just not sure what brand of special you are yet." He said with a smile.

"Well if you wanna believe that then by all means, have fun with your guessing game, just don't get pissed at me when your clues come up with a big fat nothing at the end." She said and he couldn't help but be amused. She was so nonchalant around him now, and had no fear what so ever. Most were picking and choosing their words, trying to say what he wanted to hear but not lying at the same time. Her carefree attitude and lack of trepidation was actually rather refreshing.

"Fair enough. Now how is it you understand and can speak the Swedish language?" He questioned changing the topic.

"I can fluently speak seven different languages and I'm still learning three more at the moment, now I thought we were here to talk about my job, not play twenty question." She said a small bit of annoyance coloring her words and he couldn't help but feel his lips tug in a little smile at her brash attitude.

"True I have plenty of time to grill you, just answer me one more question and we'll get down to business." He said.

"Shoot." She replied.

"What seven languages do you know?" He asked, leaning forward resting his elbows on the edge of his desk.

"English, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Swedish, German, and I'm currently learning, Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese." She said her eyes rolling up as she listed them off as if she had trouble remembering them all, and it was quite obvious why she should.

"Why?" He found himself asking the question before his mind had even caught up with his mouth.

"You said one more question." She said with a little bit of a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Indulge me." He said with a slight gesture of his hand.

"I'm good with languages, I can mimic accents damn near flawlessly and memorizing comes easy to me. Plus I hate not understanding what's being said at all times." She said, shoulders shrugging as if it were nothing special.

"Impressive, ok now on to business… and why don't I cut through all the bullshit and get straight to the point." He stated.

"Please do." She said, shifting to sit at the corner of couch closest to him reclining against the arm.

"I'd like to make you a feature attraction, not just some random general dancer. I'd like to have you perform like you did tonight once a week. A new routine each week, so that we'll get more repeat business among our vampiric clientele. You'd of course perform regularly every other night of the week like a regular dancer. How does that sound to you?" He questioned.

"Sounds great." She said with a smile, but it lacked any kind of true excitement.

"Why don't you sound very enthusiastic." He said, his lips curled into a bemused grin.

"I want to be a real dancer, ballet, jazz the whole nine, being a feature pole dancer at a vampire bar is, believe me a great achievement, and I am very honored you have that much faith in my abilities, but in comparison to what I eventually wish to accomplish it's small potatoes, so forgive me if I don't start crying and thanking the academy over your offer. I'm happy and believe me I'll take you up on the offer with out a second thought. There's only one problem I can see."

"And what problem is that?" He questioned, finding that he really did want to know. Never before had he actually cared about the words that dribbled out of a human's mouth, but for some reason he found he did care about hers.

"Well your ad said you wanted a general dancer, and that's the job I agreed to do at minimum wage, being your special feature with a whole new routine each week, that's gonna cost you more." She said her lips curling into a mischievous grin.

"Somehow I thought you would say that, so I'm prepared to pay more than I advertised. How about five hundred a week, and free use of the premises to have your dance practice after the agreed upon two week probation period." He said.

"I think I can live with that." She stated with a small grin.

"Of course, I'll expect to see your new routine the day before performances for approval, but I'll allow you complete creative freedom, as long as you'll be open to suggestions and truly take them into consideration." He said nonchalantly, but inside he was actually … looking forward to getting to watch her perform for him and him alone.

"It's you're place and you're pretty much the audience I'm supposed to be performing for so you'd know better than I what would work best. So, yeah I'll take your suggestions into consideration. Now for the routines, I'll have to be able to work on them with a pole which I do not own, so how am I going to accomplish that." She stated.

"We'll work out a schedule where you can use our facilities under supervision till the two week probation period is up. Do you have any other questions?" He asked.

"Yeah, when do I start?" She said with a light chuckle and a smile.

"Were closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but I want you to start on Friday that way you get the weekend crowd. I want to introduce you to our patrons before you're first performance so we'll have your first real performance next Friday, so that will give you a week and a half to come up with the first routine. Is that sufficient?" He questioned.

"Hey you're the boss." She said with a shrug, and he smiled wide.

"You know I hear that a lot but coming from you're lips, it sounds so… promising." He said his voice nearly purring the words at her, finally getting them back to that playful banter they'd been up to before he'd dropped the glamouring bomb on her, and he delighted in the fact that she sighed and rolled her eyes at him, rather than swooned at his feet, like most other women.

"So is that all?" She said her words heavy with the message that she wasn't feeding into his flirting statements.

"It is." He said standing. "You know with all of this I never really introduced myself, nor did I get you're full name. I am Eric Northman." he stated extending his hand out to hers once more.

"Taryn LeFay." She said as she too stood and put her hands in his, he was expecting for that brushfire caress as her fingers slid into his hand and her palm pressed to his but surprisingly, her hand was cool. But still the touch of her flesh upon his was a wonderful sensation he delighted in all the same.

"Welcome to Fangtasia, Taryn." He said and he caught her shiver as her name passed his lips, and knew that she might be resisting his charms but she wasn't as immune to them as she pretended to be.

"Thank you. I'll see you Friday." She said her voice a little terse, knowing he'd caught her reaction and being uncomfortable with it in the first place.

"Friday." He stated with a nod and a smile. He watched her walk out the door, a sparkle in his eyes, he was going to enjoy getting to know this one, and he was sure as the is long that he hadn't given up on figuring out his new little puzzle. He needed to introduce her to Sookie, see if her little remark about being a null to all with abilities was true or not, surely if she was lying Sookie would hear what was going on in her little head, and if she couldn't hear… well now that opened up a whole new Pandora's box of delightful possibilities.


	4. But your eyes see right through

**A/N: Thanks again to Hime4Life and SnowFairy24 for your reviews. And as always I hope you all enjoy!**

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Taryn walked out of the room feeling rather pleased, there'd almost been a small issue as her anger had started spiraling, but she'd been able to reign it in. It had been the hardest thing she'd done all night but she'd done it and not a moment too soon. She had a job that was paying her two thousand a month with an amazing schedule, that she could easily schedule her life and dance auditions around. Her employer left something to be desired, he was already far too interested in her for her liking and asked to many questions, but she had a feeling in his own way he respected her. So that could be worse. All in all things were finally looking up. She made it to the end of the hall and opened the door in the club, only to see the female vampire Eric had called Pam hanging up a telephone.

"Eric needs you to fill out the rest of these forms before you go." She said as she walked over handing her official employee applications and paperwork, and inwardly she cringed. There were some questions she was going to have some issues answering. She didn't say anything as she took the forms and a pen and quickly scribbled down answers. When she came to the question of address she looked up at Pam.

"Can I leave this one blank for now. I've only just arrived in the area and still haven't settled down at a permanent residence yet." She said looking up at the vampire who was ignoring her and staring at her nails, the constant tap of her heels resounding loudly in the empty club.

"Do what ever you like, anything that's not right Eric will have to go over later. He only told me to have you fill them out, not hold your hand and make sure it was done correctly." She said her tone one of boredom and annoyance. With a shrug Taryn finished filling the papers and handed them to the woman. "He did want me to ask you if he could ask one more question?" She said and at first Taryn was confused but remembered she'd only allowed him one more personal question, which he'd ignored, but this was his way of asking another. She laughed and shook her head.

"Sure."

"He wants to know why you were late, and he also wanted me to stress to you that that will never happen again, so long as you work here." She said her eyes drilling into Taryn getting the point across perfectly.

"My car got a flat, usually I can fix it in a jiffy, but at night with only a book light to aid me, it took me longer than usual and I won't be late again." She said confidently, but the female vampire gave her a look like she didn't believe her. Taryn only raised her hands showing the female vampire the beds of her finger nails and if the vamp so chose to look she'd see there was grease and dirt stuck there from doing just what she said she'd done. The vamp did look and grimaced at the sight, as if dirty nails was the most disgusting things she'd seen in her life.

"Gross, fine we believe you but don't let it happen again and if there are such circumstances we expect a phone call." She extracted a business car, one that was black with red lettering that appeared as it is written in blood rather than ink. She handed it to her holding the very edges as if she got too close Taryn's dirtiness would rub off on her from simple close contact. Taryn took the card making sure not to get too close so she wouldn't upset the vampires' delicate sensibilities.

"Will do, it was nice meeting you…." She paused, although she knew the vampires name it was rude to use it without formal introductions.

"Pam." She said obviously bored with the conversation she was being forced to have.

"Nice meeting you Pam, I'm Taryn, I'd shake your hand but I have a weird feeling you wouldn't enjoy that one bit."

"Oh good you're a smart one, let's hope you stay that way, you'll do better here if you remember your place." She said with a waving gesture of her hand as if dismissing her.

"Somehow I doubt I'll ever be allowed to forget, looking forward to working with you." She said as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Yes, yes." Pam had returned to staring at her nails, forgetting Taryn's existence completely.

Turning and walking out the bar and into the parking lot, she looked up to the sky, closing her eyes and breathing in the night air, the wind blowing through the trees, tugging at her hair. As she opened her eyes viewing the starlit sky, feeling much calmer as she walked across the parking lot to her charcoal gray 1970 Hemi Cuda, her most prized possession. It was rusting a bit at the edges but it ran like it was brand new, there wasn't one inch on this car she hadn't fixed, tuned up, or cleaned herself. It was the only thing she had from her previous life. The only thing that stayed with her through thick and thin. She ran her hand over the sleek exterior as she walked to the drivers side, and unlocked her car. She sat down and buckled herself in, turning the key in the ignition.

The engine kicked on with a growl and she adjusted her mirrors even though they were in the same place they'd always been. As she popped her car in reverse and backed out of her spot she got a glimpse of something in the corner of her eye. She flicked her eyes to see Eric Northman, resting against the side of his building, staring at her intently. She kept his gaze, frozen still as he watched her, then his eyes shifted to take in her car. He gave an appreciative nod, and she couldn't help but smile wide. She was always a sucker for a compliment on her car. She gave him a nod of her head in return silently thanking him for the compliment. Then she stomped on the clutch her hand shifting the stick into first gear. She quickly switched to the gas at the precise moment the engine switched gears. She quickly peeled out of the parking lot spraying up gravel a little as she did.

She was showing off and she knew it but she had a feeling Eric might actually understand and appreciate the show. He knew a little bit about speed, and the gleaming cherry red sports car parked along the side of the building was most likely his, so he also knew a thing or two about cars. She took a second to look in her rearview mirror, and she wasn't a hundred percent positive but she was pretty sure he was laughing since his shoulders were rising and falling.

She tried not to look back but she found her eyes kept returning to her rearview mirror looking at him as she drove away and then suddenly he wasn't there. With a light laugh and shake of her head she drove to the interstate and down a bit till she hit the truck stop. She parked in the spot and locked her car, dashing into the small restaurant and ordering herself a simple salad and a baked potato. She ate the meal quickly, hating to have to eat by herself. Once she was done she paid and tipped before returning to her car. She popped the trunk and extracted her belongings. She pulled out her sleeping bag and stuffed it into her small backseat. She spread it out on the seat and slipped in.

Taking clothes from her bag she quickly and awkwardly changed into something more suitable to sleep in before slipping into the sleeping bag. Tomorrow would be the same schedule she'd been adhering to for the last six weeks. She'd hit the gym for a few hours after waking, so she could use their shower to clean up. Then she'd put on her other clean outfit and hit the Laundromat and wash the outfit she'd worn today. This job had come at the perfect time. She was scraping the bottom of the barrel when it came to her funds. The gym membership had taken half of her remaining balance.

She'd been spending her days hoping from business to business applying for work but there was nothing to be had. She was actually on her way to apply at a strip club, which was her final act of desperation, when she'd come across the ad in the paper for the audition at Fangtasia. It really had been kismet. She slipped her cell phone out of her pants as she nestled in for sleep. She set the alarm, reminding herself that she'd had until the end of the month before the damn thing was cut off on her. But she didn't need to worry about that now, this job would get her into a place and let her keep her phone, not that there was anyone who knew the number or wanted to call her on it. Except for Eric, she found herself smiling as she thought of him and quickly stopped, she smacked herself lightly on the forehead.

"Stop that." She said to herself. Growing a soft spot for anyone, let alone her vampiric employer was just dangerous, and she'd gotten herself out of enough trouble and she wanted to keep it that way. But she knew she was fooling herself , trouble always found her, no matter how far and how well she hid from it, it always found her.

**…**

Eric stepped away from the tree he'd been reclining against. He'd thought the fact that she had no address was odd, if she's been staying with friends she'd have given that address but she'd given nothing, and now he knew why. His saucy little minx was homeless. This would not do. He was sure she'd get her own place as soon as he gave her her first weeks pay, since he hadn't smelled any toxin's other than caffeine in her system he knew she wasn't a drug addict, and her distaste for him was a good hint that she didn't do "V". So he wouldn't have to worry about her using an advance on drugs.

Hell he was extremely tempted to give her temporary residence in Fangtasia, anything to keep her close. He was even more tempted to clue her into the fact that he knew she was homeless now and make her come back to Fangtasia for the night but the sun was already dangerously close to rising as it was, and he'd have to be asleep by the time she made it back anyway. So tomorrow night, that's when he'd approach her and call her back, and he'd have a room all set up for her at Fangtasia incase she went for his offer. He'd also have to have another place off site ready for her incase she was able to resist.


	5. Take my hand and come away

**A/N : I wanna give a huge thank you to Esvisionik and Christabel and everyone else for your reviews, and of course thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed my story.**

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Taryn dragged herself back to her car. Her day had been long and tedious. She'd done the gym and washed her clothes at the Laundromat. Only when she'd been folding her clothes did it dawn on her that she'd need new clothes, at least enough to make it appear like she owned more than just two outfits. There was a good chance she wouldn't receive her first check for a little more than a week. So she'd been going from place to place hoping for some per diem work, and she'd found some at a fish market. It was horrible work but it paid decent money.

So after a grueling morning and afternoon of work she trudged herself back to the gym to remove the smell of fish from her skin. Then she picked up clothes from Kmart. The sun was almost about to set, but after having to work for 10 hour straight and putting in two workouts so she could shower, she was bone tired, and needed to sleep. She slipped into her car, the sleeping bag all set out. She changed into her sleeping attire once more and got in to her sleeping bag. She set her alarm and rested her head back against the seat.

She stared up out of her sunroof watching the sky grow dark as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. As soon as the sun was gone the sky littered with stars. She continued to watch, the image a beautiful sight that was slowly lulling her to sleep. That was until she was no longer staring at a beautiful starlit sky, instead she was looking into a set of electric blue eyes. She jumped nearly out of her skin as Eric's face simply appeared in her sunroof.

"Jesus Christ!" She exclaimed.

"Not quite." he said with a chuckle.

"You followed me last night, didn't you." She said her voice rife with accusation.

"It would appear that I did." He said with a grin the was reminiscent of the cat that got the canary. She opened the car door and got out, closing it behind her. She leaned against her car, arms crossed under chest. Not caring that she was standing outside in a tank top and boxer shorts, her eyes staring at the floor not meeting his eyes.

"What are you doing here Eric?" She said her voice laced with embarrassment.

"Why are you sleeping in your car?" He asked his eyes boring holes where ever he looked. She could damn near feel his gaze on her frame like a physical weight.

"Do you always answer a question with a question?" She asked, her words snapping out at him, her embarrassment causing her to get lash out in anger.

"Do you?" He questioned calmly, and she had to take a moment to collect herself. She was getting angry and it was only cause he'd found out her dirty little secret. It wasn't his fault that she was sleeping in a car, it was his fault for finding out but she knew deep down that wasn't why she was mad.

"You know why I'm sleeping in my car. I'm sure you're smart enough to figure it out." She said her voice softer this time. Through out the conversation she didn't raise her eyes to look at him, only when she'd snapped at him had her eyes lifted but only for the briefest of seconds.

"How long have you been without a home?" He asked moving to lean against the car next to her, crossing his arms over his chest much like her, and Taryn knew he only did it to put her at ease, and get her to open up with him. Vampires didn't relax or lean, he was putting on the air of being human so she'd be more comfortable, and she wondered why did he care that much to want her to feel secure.

"A home or a place to live?" She questioned lightly.

"Both." He countered, his tone telling her he wasn't going to let her split hairs with him.

"I've been sleeping in my car for about six weeks, more if you count the trip down here. As for how long I've been without a home… a lot longer than that." She said still refusing meet his eyes, looking everywhere but at him.

**…**

He wanted her to look at him, he wanted to see those eyes and the fact that she wasn't was actually bothering him. And the fact that it bothered him, bothered him even more. Then finally she looked up at him pegging him with those penetrating eyes that were a curious mix of blue and green, and he forgot why he was bothered.

"Why do you care anyway?" She questioned, and it was a good question, he was starting to ask himself the very same thing.

"As I've mentioned before you're going to make me a fortune and I'm simply protecting my investment. You can't possibly be performing at your best potential sleeping in the back of a car, with barely two pennies to rub together." He said, and even he believed it… a little. That gaze of hers traipsed his face, looking for the lie, searching for the truth, and he watched that penetrating glare harden right before him, and it was curious. He could tell she didn't believe him but as her eyes swung away to stare at the line of trees he'd used the night before as coverage, he knew she wasn't going to question him on it.

"Say you're right, and I probably can't perform to my greatest potential sleeping in a car, there really isn't much I can do about it. I won't get paid for a while so I won't be able to afford a place till I'm at least a good two maybe three pay checks in to work, four or five if they need more than a months security. So again, why are you here Eric? Showing me you know I'm homeless isn't gonna change anything, it's just going to make me uncomfortable around you." She said those eyes landing on him again. The unspoken, 'even more than I already am' hung in the air between them.

"Well would you be above accepting a loan from me so you can get a new place?" He questioned, knowing the answer before she said it.

"Absolutely I am, I have never taken a hand out in my life and I never would." She said no sooner than the question had left his lips.

"I didn't say hand out I said loan? I fully intend for you to pay it back." He said that grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

"A loan is a hand out to me, even though I'd pay it back later, it would still feel like charity. Plus I'm not stupid enough to be indebted to you, I'm sure you'd figure some other way for me to pay you back that I'd hate so, no I will not take a loan from you." She said looking away and he had to stop himself from chuckling, this girl did have him pegged, more so than any human he'd ever met, and that was very curious. Was it part of the gifts she was hiding from him or was she just that intelligent and perceptive? Cause he sure as hell wasn't so crystal clear that she could see right through him.

"Are you above janitorial duties?" He questioned and watched her eyes return to look at him.

"I'm not above any kind of honest work." She said stressing the word honest. "Why do you ask?"

"Well that settles it then, you'll move into Fangtasia and clean the place up at closing in exchange for room and board." He said and her eyes widened in surprise.

"I don't know that doesn't sound like a fair trade."

"Oh it's not. After one night the bar is filthy. I'm the one seriously getting the better deal out of this." He said and he could feel her eyeing him warily. "Of course I'll still expect you to perform your duties as a dancer. "

"I dunno." She said eyes searching the ground, but he could hear the slight acquiescence in her voice, he was wearing her down, just a few more choice words and she'd be as good as moved in. He stepped away from her car, dropping his arms.

"Suit yourself then, if you want to risk loosing your job cause you're not performing up to the required standards, then by all means, keep sleeping in your car."

"Cut the crap Eric. We both know this isn't really about me possibly loosing my job due to poor performance. I've been sleeping in my car for weeks and I was still good enough for you to hire over who knows how many other girls, so good in fact that you're going to make me a feature attraction. So me not meeting your potential cause I'm living out of a car isn't the issue. So don't threaten my job to try and scare me into moving in to Fangtasia. We both know you want to keep me close, enough that you'll let me do it on my terms and actually work to live there, we also both know you don't want to admit the real reasons why. So unless you wanna cough out a real motive, I suggest you be on your way and let me get to sleep." She said and he was speechless throughout her entire tirade. The fact that she wasn't afraid to call him on his bullshit was, well it was down right sexy, and as much as he'd hate to admit it and he never would. Actually made him respect her a little bit more.

"I can't protect you out here, not all the time. I'm old but even I can't be in two places at once, you wouldn't be willing to take any of my blood would you?" He queried.

"Absolutely not." She stated quickly.

"That's what I figured, which is why I didn't even offer it to you. However if you won't move in and you won't take my blood and you continue to choose to park out here by all these truckers that have been on the road for weeks at a time and not a single woman in sight, I can't assure your safety. If you won't move in can I at least request that you start to park in Fangtasia's side parking lot, and not around so many potential rapists." He said.

"Why do you want to protect me so much?" She questioned, eyeing him warily.

"I already told you, I consider you my investment and I always protect my investments." He stated.

"And that's the only reason you want to protect me… cause I'm just an investment to you?" He questioned.

"Yes." He said, but couldn't help thinking, 'Absolutely not.' She was more than an investment, she was a puzzle, and possibly the most curious human being he'd ever met, if she was a human being at all.

**...**

The fact that she wasn't much more than a bunch of dollar signs to Eric shouldn't have hurt, it should have been exactly the answer she was looking for, but dammit if she didn't feel a little sting. She returned to looking at the ground, arms still crossed under her chest. She mulled over the offer, parking at Fangtasia was smarter than the truck stop, and since Eric knew she was homeless there was nothing to hide any more. Then again if he was completely content to use her to make money why shouldn't she use him for safety. It was one of the main reason she wanted to work around vamps. Being around them just might keep her safe and hidden well enough away from her past.

She turned away from him pressing her hands to the top of her car, staring at the window, seeing her own reflection and his reflection behind her. He was watching her, like he always did, his face an unreadable mask. If she didn't know that he was aware she had her secrets and was obviously interested in figuring them out, she would really believe that all he was doing was protecting an investment like he said.

She was stupid, what she was doing was dangerous. She should hop in her car and drive to another state, and leave Eric Northman and his job behind. But with her luck starting over in a new state would lead to far more dangerous outcomes. So really parking at Fangtasia was a smart move when she thought about it. But the call of sleeping in a comfortable bed was a huge temptation, and with her weary bone screaming out for comfort she knew she was going to give in.

"Ok I'll move in." She said still not turning around, but she could see his satisfied smile in the reflection of her window. She turned around to face him but the smile never wavered.

"Perfect." He said as he walked to passenger side of car and got in. She sighed opening her car and climbing into the driver side. She took keys from her pants pocket and started her car. "By the way, you have a very nice car for a homeless person." He said and she gave a little bitter chuckle.

"Thanks, it's really the only thing I own anymore." She said as she put the car in gear and began to drive away.

"That will all change soon enough, I can promise you that." He said with a grin, and Taryn gave him a sideways glance.

"That was uncharacteristically sweet of you to say." She said arching an eyebrow at him as he turned to look at her. He then turned away suddenly to look out the window as she returned to watch the road herself. The silence was deafening, yet a good clue to her. It was obvious there was something happening here between them, and it was also obvious neither one of them wanted it to happen.


	6. Only real thing, I've got left to feel

**A/N: I wanna give a huge thanks to powergirl24, Draco MalfoyGirl 16, kpkisses, Esvisionik, Luna4816, Princess-Maiden, CalligraphersNib, and bekkiboo46 for your wonderful reviews.**

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Now for answering some of their queries and responding to your statements, the talk of introducing other characters, all I have to say to that is Keep Reading :P, but definitely expect a few more brand new characters to come into the action as well as some well known oldies but goodies to pop up. And the Taryn and Sookie meeting is coming very very soon.

Also very sorry about the typos I've just been so excited to get the chapters up I have been very lack on my editing duties.

Now for the longer chapters, I'm am working on it. The story is obviously still in the beginning stages, the deeper the connection between Taryn and Eric goes and the more characters I start to introduce the longer they will get. Now this chapter is very short and I apologize but I did want to take a reviews into consideration and start incorporating some cliff hangers. This chapter was part of the next chapter but I decided to separate them to up the suspense. However since it's so short I decided to be nice and post both chapters up at the same time. But I won't be so nice in the future :P.

And of course thank you to all the readers and as always enjoy!

The ride back to Fangtasia felt long, neither speaking to the other. So Taryn turned on her radio, her ipod's music filling the silence. She couldn't tell if he liked her choice of music or not since he didn't react to it either way. She pulled into the parking lot right next to Eric's car. She killed the engine and sat in silence, running her hands over the wheel.

"You're nervous." She heard him say and she looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"Yeah well it's not everyday I move in with a vampire. I'm not exactly sure what to expect. Plus… never mind." She turned around and grabbed her back pack from the back seat, pulling it into her lap.

"Plus… what?" He asked.

"Plus… things never go well when I move in with people." She said as she got out of the car.

"Well barring that you don't steal from us I don't foresee a problem. Plus you said it yourself it's only temporary."

"Yeah." She said but not to convincingly. She climbed out of the car and locked the door. She slung her bag over her shoulder, by the time she looked up Eric was already at the side entrance, the door already open and waiting for her to enter, all before she heard the click of her passenger side door close. With a sigh she headed in to Fangtasia. When she was inside she realized that they were in "the hallway", where he'd been playing his games the night before. She followed him to a door that was opposite the door to his office. When he opened it, there was a small room, something that looked no bigger than a very large pantry.

There was a bed big enough for her plus one, a small black dresser, and a door that led to what she assumed was a closet. There were no windows but the walls had been painted, very recently if smell was anything to go by, a greenish-blue. Something that was probably called Mint Mist or Sea foam. However it didn't escape her that the walls were the exact hue of her eyes. The sheets on the bed were black with gray flowers, and regardless of the fact that it was a small sparsely furnished room with no windows, it was oddly warm and bright.

"Feel free to decorate how ever you want, you can repaint it if you like. The door at the end of the hall on the right is the bathroom, and it has a working shower. The one next to that is the kitchen. It's stock full of food so feel free to make yourself something whenever you're hungry. We all have forgotten how to cook and what the normal times humans eat so don't wait on us." The door across from the bathroom leads to the basement where Pam and I stay. It doesn't need to be said that you are not allowed down there."

"Even though you just said it." She teased lightly.

"Yes well I know you're smart enough to have figured it out but I don't want to have the 'you never told me' argument. That other door is where we came in and the one directly across from you is my office. Any questions?" He asked and Taryn walked into the room and put her bag on the dresser.

"Yeah, who picked the color?" she asked.

"I did, why?" He questioned she turned her face to look at him with a genuine smile.

"Cause I really like it." She said as she unzipped her bag. Eric simply nodded his head.

"I'll leave you to unpack." He said as he began to close the door."

"Oh Eric." She said and he paused, looking at her. "Thanks." She said her voice full of genuine gratitude. Eric simply nodded his head once more and closed the door.

Taryn stopped unpacking and quickly climbed into the bed. It had been well over two months since she's slept comfortably. As soon as she laid on the mattress, she sunk into the soft surface, the down blanket and pillows enveloping her. She couldn't help but moan in content with a smile on her face.

**…**

Eric listed at the door and couldn't help but smile a little at the sound she made as she laid in the bed.

"You're looking rather pleased with yourself." He heard Pam say from behind him. He turned towards her. "I take it you're little pet has moved in."

"She has." He answer simply although he didn't consider Taryn to be his pet in anyway, but letting Pam onto that fact wasn't the brightest thing to do.

"Is she still hands off?" She questioned with the mischievous gleam in her eye, that he knew all to well. His progeny had the same voracious appetite for women that he had, it was one of the many reason he'd chosen to embrace her all those years ago, she reminded him of himself and made a great companion.

"She is." He said simply knowing Pam would never cross the line once he'd established boundaries. She'd tip toe around it but never actually cross it.

"What is it with you and this human. You're becoming as obsessed with her as you are with Sookie Stackhouse." She said and Eric simply glared at her. "You are. Although I don't know why. This one isn't as interesting as Sookie. She's gorgeous don't get me wrong, and the fact that there's no other competition is a great plus, but Sookie at least has something going for her other than her looks."

"Oh you're wrong about that one Pam. This one is very interesting, maybe even more so than Sookie Stackhouse. Speaking of Sookie, I need you to fetch her for me tomorrow. I wan to see what our telepath can get out of our new dancer."

"Will that be all?" She asked snidely.

"Yes Pam, that will be all." He said and watched as she walked off in a huff. She was a great companion and loyal, but lazy as all hell, and never failed to get in a snit when he forced her to do any amount of work. He listened in and heard the rhythm of Taryn's breathing, and could tell she was fast asleep. He turned and entered his office, removing his jacket and placing it on the coat rack, leaving himself in a black tank top with his black jeans. He kept himself busy, doing paperwork, both for Fangtasia and for his other job as Sheriff of area five. Each job had mountains and mountains of paperwork that came with it, sometimes he felt more like a glorified secretary than a sheriff and a business owner.

Every now and then he would look up at the closed door where Taryn slept, and he'd mentally kick himself and return to his paperwork, only to find that he was staring at the door again. He could hear everything in the room, the slide of the sheets on her skin as she shifted in the bed, which now that he really tuned into it, he realized she'd been doing that a lot. He chalked that up to the fact that she'd hadn't had a decent place to sleep in months and was unused to the comfort. No sooner than he thought that he heard her terror filled scream rent the air followed by more.


	7. Rapes the flower trembling on the vine

**A/N: Chapter seven up nice and quick for you all. This one is entirely from Eric's point of view, I was gonna split it but I dunno it just felt better from his point of view. Oh and here is a link to a picture of what Taryn's tattoo's look like. .****And As always Enjoy!**

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He was up and out of his chair, and was at her door before the chair hit the floor. He opened the door harshly, the thing nearly coming off the hinges, his fangs fully extended, ready to attack, very sure that something horrible was befalling his precious dancer. Although how that was possible in a room with no windows and no entry other than the one he's been watching like a hawk he had no idea.

Even though the door had opened with a crash Taryn was still there lying face down in the bed, her body contorting, fingers gripping the sheet so tightly that her knuckles were bone white, She still screamed, horrible soul wrenching screams, and her brows were scrunched in frustration. Eric moved into the room, which was so cold one would think he'd put her in a freezer rather than an unused pantry. He felt Pam's presence behind him and he simply waved her away as he moved to kneel next to her bed. For the first time in a long time he wasn't sure what he should do.

Obviously Taryn was trapped in some horrible nightmare, but would waking her from it cause damage or be beneficial. Finally he placed a hand to Taryn's shoulder, her skin was like ice which was saying something since he didn't retain any kind of body heat. He nudged her lightly but she didn't wake, only when he called her name did she calm, and it was only a little. He continued to call her name and nudge her before she woke with a start, crawling away from him before her eyes fell upon him and registered who he was. She released a relived breath, and began panting, wiping her eyes as tears made treks down her cheeks, a sob every now and then passing her lips. She trembled like a leaf in a hurricane and he was still too shocked to react.

"Sorry." She said between pants. "I'm so sorry." He could tell she was trying to regain her composure but was having a hard time getting a grip on herself. She was paste white and her lips a little blue as she sat on the bed, back pressed against the wall, her head hanging between her knees.

"Pam." He called, knowing she hadn't moved even though he'd waved her away. "Can you please go get some food for Taryn."

"No… no food, I couldn't keep it down after that." Taryn said softly, her voice still as shaky as the rest of her.

"What will help?" He questioned.

"Soda… or anything I can drink with a lot of sugar and caffeine." She said and he felt Pam leave, a little surprised she didn't argue with him, but then she knew that he had a special interest in Taryn and if an order involved the wellbeing and safety of something important to him, it was important to her as well.

"What was that?" he questioned. "I've heard of nightmares being bad but that… that was no nightmare."

"No, it wasn't. It was a night terror. I'm sorry, I should have warned you but it's been well over a year since I've had an episode." She said and Eric stood up from the edge of the bed, walking to the door where Pam then appeared and he took the can of soda from her.

"I have coffee brewing, I thought maybe the heat would help her." Pam said.

"Thank you Pam." He said and she left knowing without being told her presence wasn't needed nor wanted anymore. He opened the soda and handed it to her, Taryn took it from him and sipped softly.

"Can I do anything that would help?" He asked and she pegged him with her searing sea green eyes that were lined with crystalline tears trapped in her long thick eyelashes, and for a second he thought she was the one that possessed the ability to glamour, cause nothing could have forced him to move in that moment.

"Would you hate it if I asked for you to stay with me, till the symptoms pass, at least." She questioned.

"I can do that." He said as he moved back to her bed and sat on it pressing his back to the wall next to her so that his long legs stretched across the bed, he kept enough space between them so that she wouldn't feel crowded. He watched in silence as she sipped the soda, her eyes staring off in the distance, the color returning to her face but her lips were still an awful blue color. He took the comforter that had ended up on the floor from her thrashing and slid it around her shoulders, pulling it around her body and using it to warm her up. She looked at him briefly giving a weak smile of appreciation before she returned to stare off in space.

"Do you know what triggered it?" He asked, for once being the one to feel the uncomfortable silence. He watched as she shook her head no, her eyes not returning to his, although every now and then a tear would pass down her cheek. She'd wipe at it with the back of her hand and take a sip of the soda, before she finally put the thing down on the dresser next to the bed when it was empty. He continued to watch her wondering when she'd snap to, he was really starting to hate that look in her eyes. He'd loved hearing her heart race in fear when he'd been the one to cause it but now that there was something else making her scared it made him feel… protective, and at a loss that he couldn't seem to do anything to help. "I really don't like that look in your eyes."

"I'm sorry, I haven't had an episode in so long I'm having a lot of trouble shaking it. I'm sorry for asking you to stay, you don't have to, if you don't want, I'm sure it will pass, it's just gonna take sometime." She said softly her body still shaking.

"Do you want me to stay, cause I want to stay. I don't think I'll be ok until I know you are, cause that… that shocked even me." He said putting his hand lightly on her shoulder, and looking at her intensely, wanting to get across that he did in fact want to stay. She nodded her head, her lip trembling as more tears spilled down her cheeks. She then crawled closer to him, and laid down, resting her head on his thigh, her face pointed out towards the room. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders like a cocoon.

He knew what she was seeking but he hesitated at the gesture. She needed comfort, physical comfort, which really wasn't his forte. He wasn't the guy that wiped tears and held hands. He wasn't the type to give comfort at all. If anything the only thing he did to make women feel better was have sex with them, but then again when he was doing that he was out for himself in the end. He loved giving pleasure to women but only because it pleased him to do it. He was terribly at a loss here, but he wanted to help her. He needed that life to come back to her, that fire inside her to return and right now it seemed so terribly close to being snuffed out. He'd make her angry at him if he thought it would do any good, but she was so disconnected right now he knew she wouldn't react.

She started to shift away from his lap, probably realizing his discomfort but he put his hand to her shoulder stopping her movement. She gave him a look and he simply nudged her back to her former position, she did, relaxing against him. He ran his hand awkwardly up and down where her arm was beneath the blanket, he could see the tension in her leavening in microscopic increments, but her eyes were still far off and haunted as she stared at the wall.

He moved his other hand to simply rest on the top of her head and as soon as his fingers touched her crimson locks the awkward movements weren't so awkward. He was a sucker for women in general but women with long hair were always at the top of his list. He loved the sensation of their hair brushing his chest as they rode atop of him, the feel of it tickling his thighs as they pleasured him. He loved having more than enough to run his hands through, to get his fingers tangled in the strands, or have a plentiful amount to knot in his fists. And red heads, true red heads had been a particularly favorite dish he loved to sample.

Before he realized it, he was running his hands through her hair, splaying it out across his lap, fingers kneading her scalp, simply because he enjoyed the feel of it. The fact that it was working for her was mostly secondary. He watched her eyes close and observed as the tension in her body nearly melted out of her. When her chin dipped downward he realized he'd actually lulled her into a sleep, but no sooner than her head started slipping off of his thigh did she shoot awake, eyes wide and scared. He paused hands hanging in the air as she looked up at him.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

"I take it you don't want to fall asleep." He said.

"No, not so soon after." She said softly, her voice barely above a whisper, he was glad to hear thought that her voice wasn't as shaky as it had been before.

"Shall I stop then?" He questioned.

"If you want to you can, I don't want to keep you if you don't want to be here."

"And if I do?"

"Then no, please don't stop." She said and he had to force his mind to remain on it's original path. Running his hand through her hair had already started stoking at the small fire that was burning within him, the one that wanted him to sample his little dancer, both flesh and blood, but those words were an even bigger tease. He'd heard those words many a time in his life, although they'd been said with a much more passionate infliction, just hearing those words fall from her lips inspired many a delicious fantasy. "Although that feels so good it might put me to sleep again… can… can we maybe talk so I won't fall asleep." She questioned and he had to lock his thoughts away, and quell the desire beginning to build within him. Eric was not above using his wiles to get women to his bed, including glamouring them, he however would never take a woman fully against her will, and right now in her fear filled state she was no where near accepting anything he wanted to give her in that fashion.

"Why do you tell me about your self then?" He questioned his mind quickly switching gears wondering if her current vulnerable state would she let anything slip. She turned her head to look up at him and the message in her eyes spoke clearly for her, 'I'm scared not stupid.' It was still only a shadow of the fire he knew she contained, but he was making strides. He simply shrugged at her.

"Then what do you want to talk about?" He questioned.

"How about you tell me about yourself." She said and he gave her a look that matched her own. She turned over to lie face up and he resumed his playing with her hair. "Ok I'll answer you're questions if you answer mine." She said pulling her hands out of the cocoon of her blanket, and resting them over it, her fingers picking at her nails.

"Fine, but I get to go first, and anything too personal we are allowed to refuse to answer."

"Yeah but then they owe the other person two less personal answers."

"Fair enough." He said mulling over the questions in his head, he decided to take it slow. "How old are you?"

"25." She said and he actually marveled at her answer. He wasn't an expert of judging ages but he'd assume she was maybe 21, if that at all. Her paperwork had said she was 25 and so had her identification but once he'd figured out she couldn't be glamoured, he figured all her paperwork was forgeries. Apparently she'd answered that question correctly and it made him wonder what else had she told him that was true.

"How old are you?" She questioned and he paused, it was something he didn't tell many humans, or many beings for that fact. The old adage, "knowledge is power', was very much true in his world. However in this aspect the sacrifice would be worth it, for a few more pieces to the puzzle.

"I stopped counting a long time ago but the number is over a thousand." He said and she seemed to accept the answer he gave. "Is Taryn LeFay really your real name." He queried.

"Taryn is, but LeFay is fake." She said with a small smile, again it was only a hint of the usual one she was capable of producing. "Is Eric Northman your real name?"

"Eric is but Northman isn't, although it was what my people were referred to at the time. We were the north men, so I adapted it when I became a vampire… How did you come up with LeFay?"

"When I was a child I was obsessed with King Arthur and the legend of Camelot and the Knights of the round table. Morganna LeFay was my favorite." She said and he wanted to question her about why her favorite had been the villainous witch, but didn't want to waste a question on that just yet.

"Where are you from originally?" She questioned.

"Malmo, Sweden." He said and he could see the cogs in her head churning, trying to put the pieces together. But he didn't give her a chance to think to long before he was asking his next question.

"Where are you from originally?" He asked turning the question back on her.

"New York, New York."

"Really you don't strike me as a city girl, you're far to at ease out in the wilderness to be content living in the cement jungle."

"I'm here aren't I… and it wasn't your turn to ask a question."

"Wasn't a question, it was simply an observation." She gave him a look but he could tell she realized he hadn't questioned her, she'd only taken it as one.

"So what were you in your human life, like what was your occupation?"

"Well I was the son of a King, but if you had to give me an occupation I would guess the best answer was I was a Viking."

"Wait are you Eric the Victorious?" She questioned excitedly. Finally seeing that tide of fear recede, the wave of her interest in his past crashing over it, returning her back to her original state. He'd done what he'd intended to do, she wasn't scared anymore and she was back to her usual self, but she was comfortable and still held a little bit of vulnerability. His opportunity to talk to her like this again wasn't definite, so it would be wise of him to stay put and keep this going as long as possible. Plus he was extremely surprised she knew the obscure history of his people.

"That was a question and it's my turn." He said baiting her. He watched her huff and he couldn't help but smile satisfactorily.

"What was your occupation back in New York." He questioned and he watched her smile falter, and it was exactly what he was hoping for.

"I pass." She finally said.

"Then I get two more questions." He said and she sighed in frustration.

"Why is the villain from the Arthur Legends your favorite character?" He questioned and she shrugged.

"I just always liked her, I think she was terribly misunderstood but seriously twisted. Her father marries her off to a man she can't stand so she commits adultery, then she's exposed by Guinevere and tossed out of court, but she becomes Merlin's apprentice which come on that's cool. She's powerful and hurt so she seeks her revenge on those that wronged her. Anyone in that situation with that ability would do the same. Well they might not seduce their half brother and birth a seriously wicked dude like Mordred, but you get my point. She was strong and independent and stopped at nothing to correct the wrongs she felt she'd been dealt. So yeah that's why I like her I guess." She said with a shrug.

"Out of all the languages you speak what's your favorite."

"Oh I can't answer that cause you'll just think I'm brown nosing." She said with a roll of her eyes.

"I get two more questions then."

"Oh no you don't. My favorite is Swedish ok. I'm sure you just think I'm saying it but it is. I like how it can be very fluid like the romance languages but it also has a punch to it, very much like German and Russian is all the time."

"Fair enough."

"Now are you Eric the Victorious or not?" She asked.

"No I'm not Eric the Victorious I came before him, there's no actual recorded history of my life nor of my father and his father." He said and she looked a little disappointed. "How is it you know of Eric the Victorious anyway. And I don't want to hear I studied it in school, cause I know that's bullshit."

"No I didn't learn it in school, although we did touch on the Vikings but it was so very little just like one page in our history books. I just remember them being so interesting, and their mythology or theology rather, was just so different so I started studying it myself."

"So you have a thing for Vikings." He said with a cat that got the canary smile. He'd made a statement but it sounded like a question, just as he'd done before. She only gave him a look, but didn't fall for his little trick once more.

"Who was your favorite among the gods?" She asked

"Loki." He said with a smile.

"God that is so fitting." She said with a shake of her head.

"Who's your favorite among the gods?" He asked.

"Woden." She said pronouncing Odin in the old language.

"Everyone says either Odin or Thor." He said dismissively.

"No seriously I love Odin, the creator and destroyer. I have an Odin Tattoo." She said.

"You have a tattoo?" He questioned wondering where it could be, he'd seen her in rather skimpy clothing but hadn't seen a spot of ink on her flesh, which meant it could only be in a rather interesting place.

"Two actually." She said.

"I'd love to see them." He said, a request even though he didn't make it sound like one. She shifted out of the blanket pushing it down to her knees, she then hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her boxers and slipped them down a little so that they hung lower on her hips, and sure enough there they were. Adjacent to both hip bones, dangerously close to the intimate place upon her body that was covered by her whisper thin black panties. A place that would be covered well by the boy shorts she'd worn the night before. What the tattoo was of though dumbfounded him, they were two simple black Norse ravens, a symbol he hadn't seen in everyday life in well over a thousand years. Sure he'd seen it in museums but never just around the corner.

He gripped her waist with one arm without even thinking and pulled her closer to him, so that the very base of her spine now rested against his thigh where her head had been. The rest of her lay across his lap, his one arm held her torso up so she wasn't laying uncomfortably across him. While the free hand pushed the small strip of fabric that was partially obscuring one of the tattoos down so he could see it all clearly. The detail was exquisite and he found his thumb brushing over the tattoo, tracing the lines as leaned closer to study it intently. He turned his head to look at her, still leaning closer to her hips, his eyes locking on hers.

"Do you know what these are?" He questioned lightly, watching her face, he could see that she was biting her lip, her cheeks a little red. She nodded her head, but he could see her shiver as his fingers passed over the sensitive spot at her hips, and he passed them over the spot once more just to watch her do it again.

"They have names." She said lightly.

"And what have you named them?" He said his eyes returning to the tattoo, fingers still playing with the one, but his thumb traveled a little closer and he heard her gasp sharply.

"Huginn and Muninn." She said and his eyes shot to look at her. She knew their names, which meant she wasn't full of shit, or just trying to come off like a Viking expert. She really did read the stories and know the tales. His whole hand moved to her center, fingers splaying so that his thumb and pinkie touched the beak of each tattoo, the heel of his palm pressing gently over where her cleft would begin. He watched her eyes widen, and her throat constricted as she swallowed hard in nervousness. He could see the conflicting emotions within her gaze.

"The raven is a very important symbol, you know. My father's banner held the raven, and whenever he flew that banner before a battle he never lost a single man. The raven made his armies invisible." He said and he watched her nod her head, her body was trembling in his grip and he knew if he pushed it just a little bit farther he'd have her to the point where she'd yield to him. All he had to do was apply a little pressure with the heel of his palm and move it in a slow circle, then maybe let his fingers dip farther down between her legs and caress her softly, and he'd have her. The look in her eyes told him plainly that she wouldn't deny him. Wouldn't stop him or tell him no. She was ripe for the picking.

But he couldn't do it. Why the fuck couldn't he do it. He wanted her, he really really wanted her, but deep down he knew if he slept with her now, that was it. She'd hate herself in the morning for it, she might even run away from him, move on to another state. Taryn was not the casual sex type, and if he took advantage of her in a vulnerable moment she was as good as gone. Plus the promise of learning what she really was and solving his little puzzle, was bigger then getting a taste of her now. But not giving into his base impulse was seriously going to hurt him later. For once, for the greater good, he was going to have to take the high road. He slipped his hand a little lower to grip the waistband of the boxers and slipped them back up her hips. He then pulled her to sit on the opposite side of his lap.

"Are you ok now, cause I really have a lot of work to get back to." He said sharply and he watched her close down in front of him, all emotions disappearing completely. No doubt she took his sudden change of emotions to be rejection. Her arms crossed over her chest hugging herself lightly. She gave one swift nod of her head but didn't speak a word. The uncomfortable tension in the air grew thick and grew thick quickly. He stood up and was ready to walk out of the room without another word, but he stopped and turned to her. "I don't know if you're going to sleep now or not but the coffee should be finished brewing in the kitchen by now, and I'll be in my office just across the hall if you should need me."

All she did was nod, pulling the blanket to her and wrapping it around her shoulders, her eyes never lifting to meet his again. He then left, closing the door behind him. He hadn't meant to be so abrupt with her, but it was the only way he was going to stop himself from doing what he'd so wanted to do, but by doing that he'd upset her. Now he had to hope that the damage he'd just caused was fixable.


	8. Show me how defenseless you really are

I wanna give a huge thank you to Princess-Maiden, deancatcher, Hime4life, kpkisses, yifrodit, yanisweetness7, calligraphersnib, snowfairy24, Nesse96, leanne, thatgirl54, mich430 and Raz 42492 for your wonderful reviews.

I also want to apologize to all you guys and say sorry for the wait. My manager's on vaca so I'm working a lot of hours this week so I didn't have a lot of time to write. But here's lengthy post for you all. Enjoy!

As soon as Taryn's eyes opened the next morning she hated herself. She really should thank Eric for stopping what no doubt would have happened but even so she couldn't help but hate the bastard just a little. It was one thing to come to the conclusion that where they were headed wasn't a good idea, it was completely another to lead her on and dump her flat. Even though she was cursing the day Eric Northman was ever born she was really more upset at herself for even letting it get that far to begin with.

Her god damn night terrors, she knew why they'd come back, but she didn't want to tell Eric why. Hell she hated having to admit to herself that for the first time in over a year she'd felt safe, and usually when she felt safe is when she was proven that she was far from it. All the memories of times that letting her guard down and letting people in, had resulted in tragedy, came rushing back to her.

There was another thing that she had to thank Eric for, with his little game the night before he'd proven to her that while she and those around her were physically safe, her mental state, self-esteem and ego were never going to be secure with that man lurking about. So when she'd finally been able to go to sleep she'd been night terror free. Sleep however didn't come easy. As the door had clicked closed on her she'd felt that same sting of rejection she had earlier when she was driving him to Fangtasia in her car, except a hundred fold. She even felt that peculiar sensation one get's when their eyes are about to well with tears but as soon as that sensation arrive, rampant rage came barreling in after it. She would be damned if she cried even one tear of frustration over that rank bastard, and she'd kill herself before she let him know she'd wanted to cry over what he'd done to her.

The risk of crying disappeared completely with the mere thought that he'd know she was crying simply by the scent of her tears, and by crying she'd let him know he'd won. She stewed on her bed for a moment, wanting to pace her room to let her anger out, but she knew he'd hear that as well. The best thing she could do was get up and move about Fangtasia like her self-esteem hadn't taken a huge hit. However if she treated Eric like the scumbag he was or give him the silent treatment, he would still know he'd gotten to her. But pretending like nothing happened was far to evolved for her to accomplish. Her best bet was to completely freeze him out. He'd know that he'd hurt her but he probably already figured that out. So giving him no emotion to work off of was her best option.

So she'd padded out of her room ignoring him even though she could see his shocked expression out of the corner of her eye. She went into the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of coffee, extra light and sweet. Then went back to her room. Of course the bastard had to ask if she was ok which as soon as her eyes landed on him she wanted to curse him to the heavens. However she refrained and gave him a nod of the head. A few hours later, once the coffee and sugar wore off she'd fallen asleep.

Now she had a headache from too much caffeine. She slipped from her bed, her feet pressing against the cool floor. First thing she needed to add to this room was a rug. She rubbed her face, trying to wake herself up, the fact that the room was pitch black didn't help. Second thing she needed to get for the room was a nightlight. She looked to the crack at the bottom of the door, where light filtered in, and she could see there was something small obstructing part of the beam.

She moved to the light switch on the wall, stubbing her foot on the dresser on her way over. She smacked the lights on before planting her ass on the floor and nursing her throbbing tow. When her eyes got used to the light and she finally focused on something other than the pain she saw an envelope sitting there just under her door, with her name on it written in elegant and beautiful cursive. She snatched the envelope up and opened it. Pulling out a stack of twenties that when she counted it up equaled to five hundred dollars. She was seeing red as she pulled what looked to be a letter from the envelope as well, wishing that it wasn't the summer and the days weren't so long so she could tell Eric Northman where to shove his money. However that anger soon dissipated as soon as she unfolded the letter and read the first line. Well fuck if he didn't know her far too well already.

'Before you go telling me to stick this money in an uncomfortable place, you should know that this is not a loan, nor is it a hand out or an advance on your paycheck. Consider this your petty cash. As a dancer and a feature performer you will be expected to have a new performance attire nightly. Since you will be performing before your first paycheck and do not have the funds I've decided to give you some petty cash so you can acquire what attire you shall need, because I highly doubt you'd wear anything I'd pick out for you. I will need you to keep each and every receipt pertaining to any work related purchases. Anything you end up paying out of pocket now and in the future will be reimbursed to you when you file an expense report. For now just keep track of what you spend of the petty cash.

On the back of this letter is an address to a shop in Shreveport that sells clothing we deem appropriate for Fangtasia dancers, and they give our employees a special discount. They're expecting you and will have some samples I've chosen for you… just incase. If you go over the petty cash amount, anything extra will be billed directly to the Fangtasia account, but only at that store. Anything other store will need cash on hand. Choose well, especially for your first performance next Friday.

Sincerely,

Eric Northman

P.S. I'm'

Well didn't that just suck the wind right out of her sails. Plus the scratched out 'P.S. I'm' at the bottom made her wonder if the rest was going to be 'Sorry.' It shouldn't be enough to make her not hate the bastard but dammit if she couldn't muster up the vehement loathing she'd had for him just minutes ago. Plus she couldn't argue with his logic, as much as she might have wanted to just to be difficult. He did have a point. She started work tomorrow and did have a few nights of work with no proper attire what-so-ever. So it looked like she had a day of shopping ahead of her… and really there were worse things than shopping on someone else's dime that could have been forced on her. She stood up from the floor, gathered her clothes and bathing toiletries and headed off to the shower. Only to find that he'd thought to have those available to her as well. She was almost adamant on using her own stuff except the quality of product he offered her was far better for her hair and skin, plus the scent of Tahitian Orchid kicked her suave "Ocean Breeze's" butt any day of the week.

After a very long shower she was refreshed and ready for her day, which really helped her forget the night before, and dammit if she didn't have a suspicion that's why he'd even brought up the damn clothes. Whatever his motive were, one thing was for sure, Eric Northman wasn't a stupid man, and it was obvious he didn't do anything without a reason, that was something she could bet her life on, if nothing else.

Many hours later and a closet full of clothing Taryn was sitting at the bar admits the hustle and bustle that was the phenomena of Fangtasia. Her attire was carefully chosen since she didn't want to stick out, but with this crowd you were either a tourist, a vamp, or a fang banger, and she didn't want to be in either group. So she'd opted for her black bondage pants with studs and straps and her black hoodie, which was in place to cover her blood red hair, but back enough so it didn't mask her face. She swirled the straw in her drink which was called a 'vampire's kiss', apparently anything that wasn't beer or tru blood had a vampire's theme in this place. She was avoiding Eric's gaze by studying her drink, he was across the room sitting on his dais like a king, but his eyes were trained upon her, she could feel it like a weight on her skin.

Even though she was sitting there as hidden as possible without being obvious she was still getting glances and she had a feeling it was because of Eric's intense glare. She turned her back to him and got the attention of the man behind the bar which she could tell was human but with the layers upon layers of muscle and long gleaming black hair tied back in a ponytail he was nothing to shake a stick at, definitely someone that could handle a few unruly humans if things got tense. He came over and refilled her glass and just like before he refused any payment, which only hitched the thorn further into her side. She hated hand outs but telling this nice guy off cause Eric probably told him that all her drinks were on the house, wouldn't be nice at all. She'd have to wait till after hours to give Eric a piece of mind on the matter.

"Seems like the boss has a big smile for you." The bartender said to her, which except for, 'nope' and 'commin right up' was the first real sentence he'd said since she'd planted her ass on this stool in the last hour. His voice was deep and the southern drawl was smooth, definitely reminiscent of someone who should be having afternoon sweet tea on the porch rather than bartending in a vampire bar.

"Appears that way doesn't it." She said, mumbling slightly, the bitterness evident in her voice.

"You don't sound to thrilled about that." He said.

"I'm not." She said begrudgingly.

"Surprising, he's never had a woman resist him before, well except one other, but she's already spoken for so I gather that's what doin there, same go for you?"

"Nope, I'm just stubborn." She said taking a sip and the man laughed.

"You must be more stubborn than a bull cause he samples all the dancers before their big day."

"Point me to the nearest china shop." She said with a shrug and he laughed again, this time she couldn't help but smile a little. She wasn't one for making friends but he was a co-worker and being amicable wouldn't hurt, plus his laugh was so warm and genuine it was hard not to be affected by it. "I'm Taryn Lefay." She said offering him her hand.

"Talon McTierny." He said his big hand engulfing her smaller one. With a small shake they let go. "A pleasure to meet you Taryn." He said with beaming heartwarming smile.

"Likewise Talon, I look forward to working with you." Her responding grin paled in comparison. He then got called away to fill another drink. No sooner than he was gone, she felt the hood of her sweatshirt get pulled down, her eye snapped to glare at whoever would be so bold only to roll as they landed on the familiar features of Pam. "I kind of wanted to remain hidden Pam." She said.

"Well that's too bad, since Eric wants it down, he also told me to tell you to stop talking to the bartender and quit ignoring him, it's making him look bad." Pam stated.

"Tell him I said to kiss my ass." Taryn said with a acerbic smile.

"Oh he's going to love that." She said.

"I really don't give a shit what he's going to or not going to love, I will talk to or won't talk to whoever I damn well please, that include his royal pain in the ass."

"You've got spunk, I like that." She said her hand capturing a lock of Taryn's hair, and twirling it about one of her slender digits. She then shivered visibly and removed her hand from Taryn's person.

"What was that?" Taryn found herself asking before she could think to stop herself.

"Eric, reminding me that you're hands off." She said with a sigh, and Taryn wasn't sure if she should be peeved or relived. "Pity cause you smell like you'd taste very good."

"Ummm… thanks." She said unsure what the correct response should be and as her eyes moved to the dais she saw that Eric wasn't there anymore. "Where'd he…" She started to question but Pam was ready with an answer cutting her off.

"He's expecting company, he wants to go prepare." She said dismissively her eyes trained upon the door suddenly. Taryn looked to where she was looking and saw what kept her gaze. A pretty blonde with a dazzling smile hanging off the arm of a dark haired brooding vampire. Pam walked a few steps away as they came up to her. Taryn stared into her drink but ease dropped on the conversation just a few feet away. "Took you long enough." She said to them

"I told you I'd come after my date with Bill." She said with a smile on her face.

"He has your check in the office." She said almost dismissively but as soon as the two moved, Pam put a hand out to stop them.

"He only wants to see Sookie." Pam said.

"Excuse me." The vampire said.

"Yup I'm afraid since he only has business with her he only wants to deal with her. He's been in a rank mood all night, I wouldn't go against his wishes tonight." Pam explained snidely.

"Either we both go or I leave." The blonde named Sookie said.

"Then you'll be forfeiting your pay for all your work in Dallas." She said icily.

"He can't do that!" The blonde yelled.

"He's over a thousand years old, he can do whatever he wants." Pam said.

"Sookie let's go, you don't need his money." The vampire name Bill said.

"Yes Bill I do, and I worked hard for the money I'm not going to give it up now. I'll be fine Bill, I'll just go in there get my check and leave." She said giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Sookie…." The vampire started but she kissed him on the lips to shut him up.

"It will take just a second." She said and started off towards the door to the back, Pam following in suit, leaving the brooding vampire Bill behind. Taryn waved over Talon once more and ordered a Tru Blood from him, and as soon as he looked at the vamp he knew which type to get. Apparently Vampire Bill had been here before. He placed the warm bottle down before her and she took it getting up and walking towards the vampire. She held the glass out to him.

"Looks like you could use this." She said softly.

"That's very kind of you, but I'm here with someone." He said nicely refusing the drink and her.

"Oh! Yeah I know that, I'm sorry I'm not coming on to you or anything. I just… I've only been in the presence of Eric Northman three days now and it's driven me to drink already. You seemed to have dealt with him for longer so this is just me giving you my condolences for your misfortune." She said with a shrug. The vampire gave her a quick glance head tilting to the side a little before accepting the bottle.

"Thank you that's very kind of you." He said.

"No problem." She said moving back to her spot at the bar, the vampire followed taking the stool next to her, his eyes drifting to the door again and again, obviously getting more uneasy as the minutes ticked away, and his pretty blonde didn't emerge from that door.

…

Eric sorted through papers on his desk, Sookie's check tucked away in his drawer. He heard the doorknob turn followed by the door flinging open and her heels clicking on the stone floor as she entered unannounced and uninvited. He knew Sookie possessed manners, he'd seen her use them with everyone else but him.

"I want my money Eric." He heard her say, his eyes lifting to look into her brown eyes, that were set in anger.

"And you'll get it." He said reclining back in his chair, hand gesturing out to the one before the desk for her to take.

"I don't have time to sit down Eric, I just want to get my money and go. Bill is outside waiting for me."

"Of course he is, he never leaves your side." He looked her over and caught the glitter of a diamond on her left hand, on a very important finger on the left hand. "I see congratulations are in order." he said and watched her lift her hand and study the diamond, a small soft smile tugging her lips, he could feel her emotions, the gentle calm happiness that over took her when she looked at that piece of glittering stone was, curious. It was like she truly was happy now that she was going to become Mrs. Compton.

"Thank you." She said softly looking up at Eric with kinder eyes, and he could feel it, the disconnect there, before she'd been attracted to him, but now that she was going to become Bill's wife, it was damn near gone. It seems like Bill Compton found the one thing that might make him come out on top in the game for Sookie. Bill offered her the one thing he never would have thought to give and never would have. The promise of commitment and a happy life. Still wasn't going to stop him from trying but now he'd have to be more careful. If he continued his pursuit she'd see it as him not only trying to take her from Bill but he was also threatening the sanctity of their bond. It was so curious how a small band of cold metal toped with a cold rock made humans think so differently, almost changed them into completely new beings. He'd have to play this one slow, wait till there was a crack in their 'union' and make his move when she was vulnerable. At that final though he remembered Taryn, how vulnerable she'd been the night before, and also why he'd called Sookie in here in the first place.

"I have one more small job for you, it's quick and easy and can be finished this very evening. If you wouldn't mind." He said and he watched her face go from kind to annoyed in seconds flat.

"What Eric?"

"I have a new dancer and the information she's provided hasn't turned out to be correct, so I'm afraid that she might be a mole from the Fellowship or… something else entirely. Either way I just need you to take a peek into her head for me and tell me what's going on in there. That's all, and you're free to go with your check and your fiancé."

"That's it?" She asked.

"That's it." He said and he extracted the check and handed it over to her she looked at the price her eyes widening.

"This is way more than we agreed." She said

"I know, I put in extra for the job tonight, and gave you a bonus for going above and beyond the call of duty in Dallas…. Pam." He called knowing she guarded the door outside, she came in with an annoyed look on her face.

"Can you get Taryn for me." He said and she gave him a droll look before leaving to acquire his little dancer. The good part was about to go down, and he had a front row seat.

…

"I don't think staring at the door is going to make her come out any faster." She mentioned to the vampire. They'd been sitting there for a bit in silence and his intense stare was starting to make her nervous. He looked to her and had the grace to look a little sheepish, which was odd coming from a vampire. He seemed more human than the ones she'd met.

"You're right, I just… I don't like when she's alone with him. I don't trust him, he's far to interested in her for my liking."

"I hear you there, I don't trust Eric as far as I can throw him." She said not mentioning that she was referring mostly to her ego and her mental state, her life she surprisingly trusted him with. Although the fact that he was in a room behind closed doors with another girl that he was interested in didn't make her feel like dancing around the room in happiness that was for sure.

"If you don't mind me asking, how do you know Eric, he's not the type to have human friends." The vampire said. She pointed to one of the human dancers in the corner.

"That's going to be me tomorrow and every day there after." She said and he made a noise of understanding. Suddenly he sat up stock still and Taryn's eyes swung to the door which was opening. Pam emerged and she saw the vampire next to her almost deflate as Pam closed the door behind her and headed over towards them.

"Eric wants you." she said and the vampire next to her stood up off the stool. "Not you… you." She said looking directly at Taryn.

"What does he want with me?" She asked.

"I don't know, he tells me to fetch and I fetch." She said.

"Well I'm not going unless this gentleman here comes as well." She said.

"You know you're starting to be more trouble then you're worth. First you got Eric all in a snit about moving you in, then whatever went on between you two last night had him in a foul mood as soon as he woke, and now this. If Eric wouldn't have my hide I'd make you sorry for how much trouble you're causing me." She said and Taryn couldn't lie the fact that he'd been in a bad mood about what happened made her feel a little better.

"Or I can just take all the blame and keep your hot ass out the fire." She said with a smile. Taryn was a lover of men for sure, but she couldn't label her self as straight. Pam's interests were obvious though and Taryn wasn't above using her wiles to her advantage.

"Don't tease it's not nice, but compliments are always appreciated, Come on Mr. Compton." She said turning away and walking through the crowd.

"Thank you." The vampire said to her as she stood and they followed behind Pam.

"Don't thank me, I mostly did it because annoying Eric Northman at every turn has become one of my favorite pastimes, helping you out was just the bonus." She said and was surprised to hear him laugh. Yeah this vampire was either far more human than the rest or young as hell.

"Well either way it is appreciate. I'm Bill Compton."

"Taryn LeFay." She said with a nod.

Pam led them to the door and Taryn let Bill and Pam enter first. Before she could even enter she heard Eric begin to reprimand Pam.

"I thought I told you to keep him outside." Eric said.

"Cool your pits boss, I blackmailed her in to letting him in. Told her I wouldn't come if he didn't."

"You're really starting to over estimate your worth around here Taryn."

"Oh trust me I know exactly how much or rather how much I don't mean to you. I know full well that I nothing to you Eric, nothing more than a bunch of flashing dollar signs. Just do what I do when you start to get on my nerves just remember all the money you're gonna make by me working here." She said her voice laced with sarcasm and anger.

"I better." He said his voice icy and full of threat.

"You will." She said bitterly, her eyes moving around the room finding three sets of very shocked eyes flicking between her and Eric. It was obvious to them all that this fight was about more than the words they were exchanging. "What did you need me for anyway?" She questioned and the silence still permeated the air before Eric Finally spoke.

"I simply wanted you to meet Sookie, she's also under my employment." He said and she watched everyone relax as the tension seeped out of the room. Bill went over to Sookie who then took a step forward. Taryn met her the rest of the way putting her hand in the other girls. "Taryn Lefay."

"Sookie Stackhouse." She said and Eric stared at their profiles intensely. Taryn went to pull her hand out of the other girl's grip but the girl didn't let go. Taryn gave Sookie a questioning look but the girl simply scrunched her brow in concentration, her other hand joining in on the hold on Taryn's hand.

…

She'd been pleased as punch when Bill walked in but the redhead that followed worried her some. She wasn't the jealous type but a pretty girl like waltzing in with your fiancé, come on anyone would get a small tingle of the green eyes monster. Although she did have to be happy the girl had been the one to get Bill back here but the question still remained, why had she done it in the first place.

"When the small spat between Eric and this girl started Sookie tried to keep out of the way. She swore Eric was going to murder her where she stood for giving him such attitude, but he refrained for some reason or another. Then he'd given her her cue. She stepped forward and taken the girls hand and dropped all her walls, so she could let the girls thoughts in. It gave her some trouble so she brought her other hand in on the action. Sometimes she needed the extra help. There were some people out there that were just hard to get a read on, but even as she concentrated and focused all her energy, there was nothing, not a whisper, no static, nothing at all.


	9. Boiling in my blood

**A/N: I know this took me a while but I must have wrote like ten different versions of this chapter till I was 100% happy with it. Also I've been workin a lot so I didn't have much time to type but here's the next chapter so please R&R.**

**I wanna give a big thank you to Mich430, Powergirl24, Yifrodit, Trueblood3, Thatgirl54, CalligraphersNib, Princess-Maiden, Minnieuf, Mimi, Sam Wise Gamjii for all your reviews!**

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Taryn watched as the girls' eyes widened in happiness and she smiled brightly. She nearly jumped for joy still holding Taryn's hand captive.

"Oh my god I can't believe it. I get nothing, nothing from you at all… but you're not a vampire. This is so unbelievable." Sookie exclaimed.

"Excuse me." Taryn questioned wondering what the psycho blond was talking about.

"Thank you Sookie, that will be all." Eric said but the blonde didn't seem to hear him or didn't care.

"I can hear thoughts on just about everything but vamps. Eric brought me here to listen in on you but I can't hear you. This is the most amazing thing. What are you? For a second I wondered if you were like me but I meet someone line me before and I could hear his thoughts." She rambled on but Taryn was still stuck on the 'Eric brought me here to listen in on your thoughts' part. God she never felt so mad. He'd bruised her ego and now he wanted to violate the sanctity of her own private thoughts.

"Un-fucking-believable." she yelled, eyes flipping to Eric's. She saw Sookie jump and bill grip her arm, pulling her towards him, and she noticed even Pam tried to melt into the background away from her.

"You said you were a psychic nullifier, so I brought Sookie here to prove it that's all." He said calmly.

"Oh and if she could hear my thoughts I'm sure you would have let me in on the fact that you brought her here to rape my mind." Taryn said sarcastically, her voice damn near dripping with venom. With the everything he'd been putting her through this just seemed to be the final straw, all her anger coming out over this small infraction.

"What would have happened is irrelevant for she'd can't hear you.'

"It's not fucking irrelevant Eric… what more do I have to put up with. In three days, three fucking days, you manipulated me, made me fear for my life when you figured out I couldn't be glamoured. You've stalked me and then completely mind fucked me and now are trying to violate my very thoughts. All while using me for monetary gains. Is there no level you won't sink to."

"Not when I'm protecting myself and my place of business." He said icily.

"Right, cause I'm such a danger to you." She said sarcastically. "You know what… I'm fucking out of here." She said turning about and passing Pam. She stalked to her room, opening the door and slamming it shut behind her.

…

Why was it that the more she screamed at him the more he wanted her. She was smart and fearless. Plus she wasn't above using her position to get what she wanted. She knew that she had him by the short and curly's and she did everything possible to milk it for all it was worth. He had to admire that kind of ingenuity. Plus he had to admire her strength even more. His eyes turned to Sookie who was staring at the empty space Taryn had just filled with her mouth hanging open slightly. She was shocked and so was everyone else in the room, himself included.

"You just couldn't keep your big mouth shut." He said coolly to Sookie, who's eyes snapped to look at him annoyed. He used to enjoy that glare of hers, loved with he'd gotten a rise out of her now, he wished her stare was harder and less annoyed and more furious like the glares he got from Taryn.

"Don't blame this on me, you're the one that didn't tell me it was a test. Here I'm thinking she's a liar or the enemy and she's just a girl you can't glamour. Of course I'm going to be surprised and make mention of the fact that I couldn't hear her thoughts." She sighed looking at the door to Taryn's room. "Well I'm going to go apologize since I know you won't."

"Can you try and convince her to stay?"

"Fat chance on that ever happening." She said as she turned and walked away. She closed the door to the office but he could still hear her rap on Taryn's door and murmur who was there and plead for Taryn to open. Which after a moment she did. He then turned his eyes to Pam who was glaring at him coldly.

"You should have told me she couldn't be glamoured Eric." Pam said.

"I know Pam, I just wanted to play this one close to the chest." He said but it was obvious she wasn't appeased. " The club still needs tending, and there still that matter of the new bouncer."

"Right watch the humans, make sure the vamps don't get out of hand, and break in the new rookie werewolf bouncer. Anything else you'll be needing of me?" She asked dryly.

"No Pam that will be all… for now." He said and she rolled her eyes and walked out.

"So she can't be glamoured." Bill said, Eric's eyes swinging to take him in.

"No she can't." He said carefully.

"And her scent is very different from a human, but still similar enough that it's obvious she's not a shifter or a were or a maenad, but Sookie can't read her thoughts so she's not what Sookie is."

"Yes it is, and no she's not… let me put this out there now Bill. Taryn is Mine." He said harshly as he laid claim to his little dancer. "I won't have you hooking your little claws in to her. If I were you I'd be very happy that I let you keep Sookie and keep my distance from Taryn if you know what's good for you." He said and he watched as Bill's eyebrow arched.

"First Sookie is all I could ever want or need, and second… is that jealously I'm detecting."

"Don't be ridiculous." He said but he could see the satisfaction on Bill's face. "I'm simply stating, that I've claimed her and I have no intention of sharing her. She's not only a financial investment to me she's also an academic curiosity. Now… since we've gotten past the claim staking here, you won't mind telling me what went on between you two out in the bar. Cause I find it very curious that she'd come to your aid out of the blue."

"Actually she kind of did. I assume she overheard Pam and I talking when you refused my entrance back here. She simply came over to me and offered me a Tru blood and her condolences." He said a small satisfied grin curling his lips.

"Condolences for what?"

"For having to work with you." He said his grin growing all the more pleased with himself. "The conversation pretty much ended there. Then Pam showed up and called her back and that's when she came to my aid. When I thanked her she told me not to. Said she'd only did what she did because she knew it would bother you. Apparently getting under your skin is now her favorite hobby."

"Is it now." He said feeling somewhat elated at the prospects. He'd been worried when she'd come to bat for Bill, Sookie was already enamored with his very human like constituent, he didn't need that brooding charm of his working it's magic on Taryn too. But hearing that she pretty much used Bill to get at him pleased him greatly.

"Do you have any idea what she might be?" Bill asked.

"None what-so-ever. She says she's a psychic void, but I don't know. I sense something is off, if all she had going for her was impeccably strong shields she wouldn't, I don't even think I can explain it right."

"Impact the room. Even though she hides herself her presence alone commands attention, and her scent it's just very peculiar." Bill offered up and Eric simply arched an eyebrow at him. "I did notice her Eric but I'm a one woman man."

"You better be, but that still doesn't explain why she draws in attention. If she really was just a nullifier it doesn't explain that kind of presence. If she was able to block everything so strongly she shouldn't come up on anyone's radar. Hiding should be easy for her not the opposite. Plus I know for a fact that she is hiding from someone or something. So that's suspicious in itself. A psychic void isn't that valuable, interesting yes but enough to hunt it down, no. And if you're feeling her draw then that really says something. At fist when Pam and I both were affected by her pull, I just thought it was Pam and I being Pam and I. But that just proves there must be more than meets the eye." He leaned back and put his feet on his desk. "Let me ask you this question, I asked Pam earlier and she came up with the same answer I did. If you had to explain her scent, how would you describe it?"

"I really can't come up with the right term. All I know is it reminds me of something just, wild and archaic."

"Feral and Primordial." Eric offered up.

"Yes that's exactly it, but it's so faint if one didn't know better they could easily mistake her for human."

"Yes but she's something else that's for sure, I just don't know what. I can be sure you won't tell anyone about this." Eric said.

"My lips are sealed." Bill stated.

"Good, Oh and I should say congratulations." Eric said changing the subject.

"Sookie told you then?" Bill said with a smile."

"She didn't need to." Eric said as he taped his head and watched the light drain from the other vampires eyes as he reminded Bill that his blood now resided in Sookie so he would forever be linked with her. "Plus the engagement ring was a huge clue." He added on.

"Right." Bill said his voice a little dejected. "So are you going to smoothing things over with Miss Lefay." Bill inquired.

"In good time."

…

The rap on the door was light so she knew it wasn't Eric, and the voice that followed sealed the fact.

"Taryn it's me Sookie Stackhouse, can I come in please?" She heard the girl's muffled voice say through the door. When she didn't respond right away. "Please I didn't know." She said. With a sight Taryn pulled the door open and let the girl in.

"Just so you know I'm not mad at you." She said.

"Really… cause he told me you'd lied on your application and he was worried you worked for the fellowship of the sun which is the only reason I agreed to it. Not only are they bigots they actually held me captive and one of them tried to rape me not just one week ago." She said and Taryn had to keep herself in check as the anger boiled her blood. "Man it's hot in here, feels like you live in an oven.' Sookie mentioned and Taryn simply shrugged her shoulders while inwardly trying to get control of her anger.

"Didn't really notice the heat, and it's ok. I assure you I'm not in the Fellowship of the Sun, I'm not even Christian." She said moving to the bag that was on the bed. She started stuffing the clothes from the closet in it, vaguely aware Sookie was staring at her. "Can you please stop that." She asked and Sookie had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Sorry I just, It's weird being able to let my guard down around a human. I'm not used to it. I keep trying to get something but there's nothing at all. I mean even with vampires there's this blank hole, where they should be, but you don't do that to me either. It's like you're not there at all."

"Well geez thanks." Taryn said a little sarcastically.

"No I didn't mean it to come out like that."

"No it's ok. I understand. I used to have a friend who was a kinetic psychic. She could see your future if she touched you, or she could read memories off items and stuff like that. But she got nothing from me, said it freaked her out."

"Well I'm not freaked out in the slightest. I think it's cool." She said and Taryn had to stop herself from shaking her head. "If you don't mind me askin, why are you living here?" She asked.

"Cause I have no where else to live." Taryn replied flatly putting more clothes in her bag.

"Eric asked me to convince you to stay." She hedged and Taryn gave her a gimlet stare. "I didn't tell him I was gonna and I'm not trying to now, I was just saying."

"Yeah well I've had all the Eric Northman I can take right now."

"Oh I know what you mean. I can't stand him. He's always trying to come between me and Bill, and for a brief moment I thought that he'd start to change a bit. What with this maker meeting the sun and him crying and all about it. Maybe he'd learn to convey some kind of emotions and not be such a manipulating and cold bastard but a week later and he's back to his same old self it seems."

"He cried?" Taryn questioned her eyes a little wide with shock. Sookie nodded her head. "Didn't think he had it in him." She said offhandedly while she pushed more clothes into her bag.

"I know right." Sookie said and Taryn moved to get the last of her clothes vaguely wondering if she'd be able to fit it all in her one bag. "If you don't mind me asking again, If you have no where to live but here and you're leaving… where are you going to stay."

"Probably in my car." Taryn answered.

"Well that just won't do. I have a house about a twenty minute drive from here and I've got plenty of space you're more than welcome to bunk with me till you get your own place." Sookie said.

"That's sweet of you but I don't think." She started but Sookie cut her off.

"Please, it would be nice to be around another person who can relate to me and I won't be able to hear the thoughts of. I'd just feel awful if you slept in your car. I'd feel responsible for making you homeless again."

"But it's not…" She started once more but Sookie cut her off in mid sentence again.

"But it is. If I didn't do what I did you'd still have a place to stay so please come stay with me. I can't in good conscience let you sleep in your car." Sookie said.

"I don't…"

"Please." Sookie pleaded.

"You are every persistent." Taryn said, wondering if it was a good idea. Again it was better than her car, and also a great way to get back at Eric. If she just went and slept in her car he could just find her and badger her to return, but now she could sleep in a house he wouldn't have admittance to. That all sounded well and good but could she do it again, could she live with someone and possibly put them at risk like all the rest. Living with her had proven to be dangerous and fatal, and Sookie didn't deserve that. Only one week, she'd get her first pay check from Eric by then and would just use that on a place. Then she'd just have to eat ramen noodles and Mac n' cheese and sleep on the floor for a week or two. She couldn't possibly ruin Sookie's life by being in it for one week, she told herself but deep down she didn't believe it 100%.

"I'm very used to getting my way, so there really is not point arguing with me." Sookie said.

"Does Eric have permission to enter your home?" She asked.

"Absolutely not." Sookie said with obvious disgust.

"Fine." Taryn said begrudgingly and Sookie jumped up and down before pulling her into a huge that squeezed all the air out of her lungs. "Oh geez." She got out before all the air had be squeezed out of her. "Can't… breathe." She was able to stammer out with some difficulty.

"Oh I'm sorry I'm just so excited I haven't had a roommate that wasn't family before and never one who's thoughts I couldn't read." She said with a beaming smile as she let her go and in her head Taryn reminded herself … just one week. She sighed. "You should go collect your fiancé and get out of here. I'm pretty sure Eric is going to try and talk to me, and it's best if he doesn't know exactly where I'm going which he'll figure out if you guys stick around. Do you know the truck stop down by the interstate?"

"Yeah I pass it on my way home all the time."

"Can you wait for me there?" She questioned.

"Of course." Sookie said with certainty.

"Thanks, I shouldn't be more than just a few minutes, unless Eric pisses me off too much and I start hollering at him again." Taryn said lamely.

"I'm surprised he hasn't flashed his fangs at you for that, I smacked him once but as soon as I did I was sure he was gonna kill me." Sookie said.

"Yeah I wonder why he lets me too, to be honest I think the sick fuck enjoys when I scream at him." She said with a shrug, and Sookie even laughed a little.

"I'll see you at the truck stop."

"Ok I'm just going to gather a few things and be behind you in a few minutes." She said and watched as Sookie left her room and as she closed her door behind her she briefly caught Eric's glare. Dammit if she didn't have that same anger she'd had a few minutes before. Why couldn't she stay mad at him. She moved to the bed and slung her bag over her shoulders. The room was now as empty as it had been when she'd first moved in, which was only one day ago. Man it had already felt like forever. She sat down staring at the clock on her cell phone, giving ample time for Sookie and Bill to leave. When she was sure they'd be gone Taryn finally stood up and left her room. Only to see that Eric was no longer in his office. Seems like she might not be getting a lecture before she departed. She moved to the back exit that led to the side parking lot where her and Eric parked. She left the building making a beeline for her car. She opened the trunk and dumped her bag inside before closing it. She looked around quickly making sure she was alone before she moved to her driver side and began unlocking her door.

"So you're trying to steal from me?" Eric's masculine voice came out of nowhere and made her jump out of her skin as she flipped around to see him standing not even two feet away. "A bit jumpy are we, I'd be jumpy too if I got caught stealing."

"Excuse me!" She said that anger starting to come back in full force.

"You heard me. You're leaving with merchandise that was paid for with my money, money that was given to you because you were employed here, since you are no longer working here I'm pretty sure you're aware that the clothing you purchased is no longer yours to keep."

"You're firing me? After all this bullshit you have the fucking balls to fire me!" She began to scream and as she saw him smile she wanted to smack the smile from his face.

"You're the one that said you're out of here, I was under the assumption that was your way of giving your resignation." Eric said coolly.

"No it wasn't my resignation it was me telling you to take your room and your bogus hospitality and shove it up your ass. Living here with you was a huge fucking mistake. You should agree with me on that." Taryn stated with venom in her voice.

"Do you always curse this much." He asked, and the question was so out of left field she was confused.

"Only when I'm really mad. Why do you ask?" Taryn questioned with a furrow in her brow.

"Because I find it very unbecoming, and unattractive." He stated.

"Like I give a rats ass what you find attractive." She said with a very unladylike snort.

"That's very mature." He said but she could see that curve of a half smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. As much as he was playing the ice king it was obvious she was amusing him.

"Oh I'm far from mature, Now do I have a job or not cause I now have to go find a place to stay and I don't have many hours to do so."

"Yes you still have a job." He stated mater-of-factly.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow Boss." She said sarcastically. She turned around but he caught her arm, she looked to where his hand held her and then glance up at him with a burning hate in her eyes. It was obvious she didn't like to be manhandled.

…

"You better be here or I will hunt you down. It may only be five hundred dollars but even if you stole one red cent it would be enough of a reason to come after you." Eric said his voice taking on that horrible emotionless tone that had scared the hell out of her a few nights before.

"I said I'd be here and I'll be here, I keep my word unlike you. Now if you don't remove your hand from my arm I won't be held responsible for what I do to you." She said and even though she was a human it gave Eric pause, cause the conviction with which she said it told him one thing, she believed what she said. Still he didn't let his hesitation show.

"Oooh I'm so scared." He said mockingly but didn't remove his hand.

"Go Fuck yourse…." She started to say but Eric gave a quick tug on her arm and pulled her into him. His lips pressed to hers and he felt her gasp and go stiff. He felt her body temperature skyrocket till she was like a forest fire against his lips. She pushed at him and punched at him but he still held her against his chest, his lips never leaving hers. She started screaming and growling behind her lips, wrenching her body so harshly he was sure she was bruising herself in the process to get away. Then she did the one thing that actually shocked the hell out of him. She shifted her mouth and took his bottom lip between hers and sank her teeth into his flesh. As soon as her teeth broke his skin it dawned on him what was no doubt about to happen, and he couldn't be more thrilled had he planned it. He'd kissed her cause he wanted to kiss her but now… this was so much better.

…

A drop of Eric's blood spilled into her mouth as she gnawed on his bottom lip and she quickly pulled away, as angry as she was making him she didn't want to hurt him that much. He let her go and she licked the blood from her lips, looking up at him with hate in her eyes and as soon as she saw the satisfaction contained within his gaze. Realization dawned on her and her body filled with complete and utter horror. She saw a sliver of that same emotion mirrored in his gaze and it sealed her terror filled state. She'd just imbibed Eric's blood and it was enough to tie her too him forever.


	10. Watching me, wanting me

**A/N: I wanna give a huge thank you to, BrianaMichele, dean catcher, Christabel, Kakashi-luver, Thatgirl 54, Raz42492, YANIsweetness7, genevaxxxdreams, kpkisses, ninachr, kirt, sluggysmom, Princess-Maiden, trueblood3, mich430, EvilPurpleCookiePenkeyMonguin, Melissa, and Trillian, I love reading all your wonderful reviews**

**And of course thanks to all my readers, hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

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4 years, 11 months and two weeks he'd been looking for her. Sure he'd found her, he'd found her many many times, but he'd done the idiotic thing. He tried to scare her in to returning to him on her own, but she didn't. She'd just run again, and she got smarter about where she hid. The first few times he'd caught up to her he'd leave his signature behind, a little how-do-you-do that flat out told her he was there. Now he realized he should have just forced her to come back. Would have saved himself a hell of a lot of time and effort, and money. The time between her departure and his finding her home was getting longer and longer. At first he was days behind her. He knew the trail she'd made down the east coast like the back of his hand. Cause he'd had damn near five years to study it.

The first place she'd run to was Scranton, Pennsylvania, he'd caught up to her in her hotel after she'd been there two days. He'd left her a black calla lily with a red ribbon on her bed. She then run to Allentown. Took him five days to catch up with her then, and he'd left her the same calling card. Then she'd run to Philadelphia. That had taken him two weeks to track her down, she'd even gotten herself an apartment at that point, but he'd broken in easy enough and left the lily in the freezer that time. Took her a day to find it, but she ran again.

New town, new state she'd ducked down to Maryland, Baltimore first, that had taken him a month to find her, but he found her living with these two girls. This time he left a bigger warning, his lily was in the mailbox… the house was reduced to ashes. Still she ran. She went to Rockville next, took him a month and a half to find her then, and she was shacked up with some guy. Which really pissed him off, he but the little prick in the hospital, all his limbs broken and a left the lily with the poor bastard to give to her. That's where he made his mistake. That's when she started wising up.

She went down to Winchester, Virginia next and when he'd found the place, he'd missed her by two days, two days, and the bitch had lived there two months. It was the same story for each state, each town, except the time it took him to track her down got longer and the time he was missing her got longer too. She started to hop around more instead of going in a straight line. She lived in Roanoke for two months and he'd missed her by a week. Then she hopped back up to Lexington, lived there three months and he'd missed her by two weeks. Then down to Abingdon, she'd lived there for four months and he missed her by a whole month.

Then she went to Tennessee, Kingston first, she'd lived there for four months but he'd only missed her by three weeks. Then to Nashville, she'd lived there for three months but he only missed her by a week. Knoxville was last. She only lived there for two months and he missed her by only five days. He was sure he was going to find her in her next state, so sure she would hook back to the coast, figured she'd favore something a bit more populated like North Carolina but he was wrong.

She kept going south to Alabama next. First she lived in Decatur for four months and he'd missed her by a month. Then she went to Tuscaloosa, only lived there three months and he missed her by three weeks. Finally she lived in Montgomery for another three months and he only missed her by two weeks there. Again he was sure he'd had her, and moved down south to Florida to follow but the tricky bitch did another jump. She went all the way back up to South Carolina.

New state new towns. First it had been Greenwood. She lived there for four months and it he'd missed her by another three. Then she'd gone down to Charleston, she'd lived there for five months but he'd only missed her by one. Then she'd gone down to Beaufort. Which was where he was now. Walking around the house she'd rented from the old woman across the street. The woman had been nice and chatty. Told him a lot but wouldn't let him walk around the place, which was why he was here now, in the dead of night stalking around like a thief in the night, being careful to not leave finger prints behind. He was already going to bring enough heat down on himself with the window he had to break to get in here and all in the same day the woman had denied him access to the home. Sure she'd be able to pick him out in a line up but he wasn't planning on getting pinched.

No he was going to look around real good in the last place she'd lived. She'd lived her for seven months, seven months and he'd missed her by two. She had to leave something for him to find behind. Some clues as to where she was headed next. Lucky for him the old woman hadn't found anyone else to rent it out to on all hope would be lost. He was nine months behind her now. But she was feeling more and more comfortable, staying in one place longer than the next. Getting more secure… and that meant she was more sloppy. He moved up to the second floor and started pulling out dresser drawers, making sure his two sets of latex gloves were in place. Cloth gloves risked less chance of a print but the damn fibers were almost just as easy to get snagged on. After he'd dumped the last drawer with nothing, found he moved to the bed. Tossing the mattress to the floor but there was nothing hidden between it and the box spring. That's when something caught his eyes. Tucked into the bottom of one of the already tossed drawers was a small packet of papers. He moved to them snatching them up and unbundling them from their rubber band. As soon as he read them he smiled so wide he could damn near feel his face crack.

Her plans were all here. She was planning to go to Georgia next, and there were Craig's list printouts of places to look at, then down to Florida, and finally her escape plan. If she made it down to Miami she could hop a boat into Mexico and then down into South America and if she made it there she was as good as gone, and he would be damned if he let her get out of his life so easy. He had killed to keep her near, now that he'd spent to so much money and aggravation he was at the point that he'd kill her just so no one else could have her, but sadly that wasn't an option. She was far to valuable alive, that was for sure.


	11. Witnessing fault in every pawn

**A/N: Ok I feel I have to address something, Sookie is not going to become Taryn's friend. I too am not such a huge fan of Sookie, and I really don't like pairing her with Eric. That being said to completely ignore Sookie's existence is just impossible. At this point in time she is essential to Eric's character, getting rid of her would change who Eric really is.**

**As for the friend situation, to have Taryn hate Sookie would really be giving the blonde too much importance in the story. Taryn doesn't see Sookie as a threat cause she really doesn't want Eric's attention at the moment and Sookie is totally enamored with Bill. There's no reason to hate her. Also Sookie right now is just a means to an end to get Taryn temporarily away from Eric.**

**I normally HATE giving away anything about my story. I love all your reviews I really do and I especially love all your questions about what's going to happen next and inquiries about what Taryn is. The fact that I keep shocking you and keep you guessing is such a high for me. I really do love it :D!**

**But I also don't want to disappoint anyone. I'd hate for all non-Sookie fans to not read my story cause they think Sookie is going to be around and a buddy to Taryn. I also would hate to loose readers because they want Sookie to be Taryn's sidekick. For all those reading I'm very sorry but Sookie will not be sticking around. I plan to have her disappear into the background. She will pop up whenever necessary I can't just make her disappear all together but she won't be around a whole heck of a lot. So all you non-Sookie fans can look forward t her being phased out fairly soon.**

**Now that that is over, A very big thank you to all those that are reading. And special thanks to Kakashi-luver, yfrodit, sluggsymom, kc936, Melissa, kpkisses, Princess-Maiden, Christabel, deancatcher, Anastacia Lynn, mich430, SharkGurl and Trickster707, for all your reviews. Enjoy!**

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As soon as that link was finalized the wall between them disintegrated and all her emotions came rushing in at him. It was almost like a tidal wave that threatened to drown him. She felt so much, so severely, and it almost barreled him over. Her anger, no, her rage, was damn near nuclear. However what surprised him the most was the fear, her fear was paramount compared to her rage. With how much fear she contained it was a surprise she could function at all. Yet he'd seen it himself, she was strong, she came up against him with out any kind of hesitation or regard for her own safety but she was scared. She was just so strong she was able to hide it from someone like him. Which was an amazing feat for a human.

He felt all that rage boil over the fear, just as lightning started striking in the nearby distance with a loud crack. Then he watched as her hand cocked back and he knew it was going to reroute itself straight towards his face. But once again she shocked him, and also proved she had bigger balls than most men he knew and more mettle than Sookie.

She didn't smack him like he thought she would. No she cold clocked him, squeezing her fingers into a fist at the last possible second. He had to admit it hurt even him and his head kicked to the side with the force she used. She really did know how to punch which made his worry about someone taking advantage of her at the truck stop a few night before a very laughable idea. Cause had he been a mortal man he was sure he would be out cold, cause her little fist had found that special button right on the jaw that could bring a grown man to his knees in a second. Good thing he wasn't human any more.

He turned his head back to look at her, feeling the pain of her punch radiating along his jaw bone, his fangs brushing his bottom lip, not because he was angry at her. No she was more than angry for the both of them, no his fangs had punched into his mouth because she'd turned him on. Not that he'd tip her on to that little fact.

"You feel better?" He questioned coolly.

"Hardly." She said between clenched teeth.

"Need to do it again?" He said with a light smile and felt her anger swell as she saw it form on his lips.

"You on a rack for a month wouldn't make it better." She said through gritted teeth, and his eyes flared at the imagery that gave, roles reversed of course. Although being at her mercy was a delicious thought, if she had things other than murder and mutilation on her mind. Another crack of lightning had her eyes flicking to the side to watch it and then he felt the oddest thing, he felt all her anger just disappear. It didn't recede or lessen in any form, and she didn't stuff it back and bottle it up, it was just there and then it was gone. However once that rage was gone what replaced it baffled the hell out of him. Suddenly an overwhelming sadness came crashing down in the wake of all that anger. Then sure enough he saw as crystalline tears started to well in her eyes.

As soon as those liquid crystals collected in her lashes, his features softened, fangs retracting. He hated when women cried, he was completely besides himself and at a loss of what to do to stop it. He didn't understand the emotions, sure he'd understood why she'd cried the night before, her night terror's had scared her into them but these… these he'd caused and that just made it all worse.

"Taryn…" He began but saw her lift a hand and right before his eyes he watched her reseal all those pieces she was about to fall into. The sadness left and annoyance followed as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand harshly and straightened her spine. If he hadn't felt the emotions and saw the tears begin to well himself he never would have believed she was about to cry in a million years. And dammit didn't the ability to control her emotions so well made her all the more attractive to him. It was something a vampire treasured, their ability to show and feel no emotion. Sure Taryn could feel emotions, but she was as close to a vampire's will of keeping them hidden than he'd ever seen in a human. But seeing all that strength return made him want to pull her into his arms and kiss her all over again. However he was smart enough to know that his lip wouldn't be the only thing that she'd damage, he was pretty sure she'd go for a hit below the belt next time. She then turned from him and opened her car door and he felt yet another emotion. Defeat.

"Taryn." He called again for another reason, half expecting her to ignore him and continue to climb into her car. She didn't though, she paused, the door open, one foot inside with the other balanced the door, but she didn't turn around to look at him.

"What I said before about hunting you down if you ran?" He paused waiting for her to fill the void but she didn't. "You could just ignore that." He finished giving her the go ahead to quit and keep all that she had purchased. It was the least he could do for the emotional rollercoaster he'd put her on, the one he'd been riding passenger to the second his blood hit her tongue. She gave and unladylike snort and finished climbing into her car slamming the door behind her.

"There's only one problem with that Eric." She called out of the open window, turning the engine on with a roar. "It's not much of a hunt when you know where I'm hiding." She almost spat out at him before she released the brake and sped off.

**…**

_'You can run but you can't hide, you can run but you can't hide, you can run but you can't hide.'_

That one phrase just kept repeating in her mind as she turned on the road towards the interstate. She didn't need to check her mirror now for Eric, he wasn't following her. There was no need for that now that he'd planted his little homing beacon in her. But really she only had herself to blame. She was the one that had bitten him and drawn blood. He couldn't have known she would have done that. He might have hoped she would but it was still all on her. She could have just let him continue to kiss her. If she didn't respond to the kiss he would have gotten the message and let her go… eventually.

She turned into the truck stop, seeing Sookie's blonde crop of hair from the road. She pulled up next to a happy looking Sookie and a sour looking Bill. As she climbed out of the car to face them she could tell that Bill wasn't pleased with Sookie's plan.

"Let me guess you're not happy about me house crashing." Taryn said before Bill could say something.

"No I'm not. No offense of course, but we only just met you." He said in his thick southern gentleman drawl.

"It's cool. I'll just sleep in my car, I don't want to ruffle any feathers." Taryn said and Sookie hit bill lightly on the shoulder, well it appeared to be light cause Bill didn't react but with a vampire you never could tell if you hurt them.

"No you will not! Now Bill we can't make her sleep in her car and I am the reason she doesn't have a home right now." Sookie said turning all her attention on to her vampire.

"No Eric is the reason." He said trying to reason with her.

"Be that as it may. She still has nowhere to stay, what do you want me to do just leave her to sleep out on the streets." Sookie argued and Taryn tried to become one with the side of her car, hating this odd man out spectator role she'd been placed into.

"No of course not, I was thinking she could stay in a room at my house." Bill said and that made the awkwardness of the situation increase ten fold. Not exactly what a girlfriend wanted to hear, that her boyfriend wanted another woman to sleep in his house over hers… and not exactly the position she wanted to be in either… the other woman.

"Bill…" Sookie started but hearing the emotion and confusion in her voice Taryn saw as Bill began to backpedaled over his words, realizing his error.

"Not that I want her to stay with me… no offense." He added looking at Taryn for a moment and she just gave a shrug and looked like there was no offense taken. "I would just prefer it if she didn't stay in your house but you are right I can't let her sleep in her car. So I was offering up my place for her to stay while I stay with you." He added and Sookie relaxed as she began to see his reasoning, which made Taryn feel awful for what she was about to say next cause they were so close to resolving this issue in their heads.

"Not to sound ungrateful but there's a slight problem with that solution." Taryn finally said and both Bill and Sookie looked at her. "A vampire can enter another vampire's home without permission. Eric can't enter Sookie's home."

"How did you…" Bills started.

"You learn a lot when you eavesdrop on conversations in a vampire bar." She said with a shrug.

"Right, well him finding you at my home is still very slim. It's not like you've had any of his…." Bill's words stopped as soon as he saw Taryn's face fall. "Right." He finished.

"Oh my god." Sookie said.

"I didn't do it willingly." Taryn replied in her defense.

"You too." Sookie stated and Taryn's eyes snapped to her. "How did he get you to do it." She asked.

"Um… kissed me till I bit him." She said a little embarrassed. "You?"

"Tricked me into sucking silver bullets out of his chest." Sookie said flatly, and Taryn's eyes widened.

"Wow your's is soo much worse." She said.

"Tell me about it, see Bill we can't leave her at that house with Eric being able to get at her, plus there's Jessica. She's good and all but she is still a baby."

"I forgot about Jessica." She said and Bill looked at her with an odd glance, almost analytical but it still made her feel weird.

"Look I'm not a thief if that's what you worried about, so you can trust me with her stuff. Plus I still work for Eric and you can find me if I did take anything, also Eric knows where to find me if I run. If it's her safety you're worried about. Why doesn't she just stay at your place till sunrise, by then I'm safe from Eric and I can leave. Or, we can go with my plan and I'll just sleep in my car. I've been doing it for weeks, one more night isn't gonna kill me. I just would really love a break from Eric Northman."

"Bill she has a point. Not about the sleeping in her car thing, that's so out of the question so stop brining it up." She said turning her eyes to Taryn for a moment before returning to Bill to continue what she was saying. "But me staying with you. I mean we haven't really had anytime to be alone since dinner." Sookie said giving Bill a look that even Taryn could plainly read. She made a point to look at her cell phone to give them privacy.

"Well I guess you're right." He said

"Aren't I always." Sookie said before turning to Taryn. "Ok just follow us then." She said bubbly as ever before turning and getting into the passenger seat of Bill's car and closing the door. As Taryn started to climb into her car she saw that out of the corner of her eye that Bill was watching her. However she didn't give him a glance, not wanting to know what was held in his glare. It was better she not know why she was of any interest to him. She climbed in her car and waited for them to pull in front of her before she followed, blasting her music to try and drown out her thoughts. Which now that she was alone had returned to the never ending record of … _'You can run but you can't hide.'_

Twenty minutes later they pulled in front of a house that looked like no one had lived in it for years. She parked the car and killed the engine, popping her trunk. Her eyes never leaving the dirtied siding and vine covered windows as she opened her trunk, pulled out her duffle bag and slung it over her shoulder. Sookie and Bill exited their car and walked over to her.

"You live here?" Taryn couldn't help but ask.

"Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that. I had a Maenad take over my house and turn it into her own private… nest. I'm trying to clean it all but surprisingly it's proving harder to get clean for just dirt."

"I'm sorry.. A what?"

"A Maenad… she's like this creature that can cause madness in people." Sookie started to explain but Taryn put her hand up to stop her from continuing.

"I have a feeling this is a you had to be there to really truly understand situation." Taryn said and she caught a wry grin curling Bill's lips.

"Yeah."

"Then forget I asked.' Taryn said as Sookie walked up the dirty steps and she followed, noticing that Bill stayed behind. From the way he looked at Sookie as she led the way in the house, Taryn had an feeling that they'd had a conversation in the car, cause it looked like he wanted to follow but couldn't.

"The upstairs bedrooms are better." Sookie said as she entered the threshold of her house and flicked on the light revealing that what was outside was nothing compared to the inside. She felt like she was in an episode of 'life after people'. "Now the kitchen is just through there." She said pointing to her left and then she went up the stairs just before them avoiding roots and vines. "This here is the bathroom and this." She said opening the door to a bedroom that was messy but thankfully devoid of foliage of any kind. "Is where you can stay. Sorry it's a mess I wasn't planning on company."

"It's, ok I understand." Taryn said as she put her bag on the bed.

"You know I can stay a bit if you like."

"No I don't want to impose any more than I already am… go have fun with your man." She said and Sookie smiled instinctively looking down at the rock on her hand. "When did he ask you?" She questioned.

"Just a few hours ago." She said looking up with a smile.

"Well then, congratulations." Taryn said kindly.

"Thanks…now are you sure?"

"Yes, especially now that I know you two just got engaged. Go have fun."

"Thanks and you're welcome to stay as long as you like." Sookie said.

"Thanks." Taryn stated and watched Sookie leave. The words were kind and genuine just like the woman that had said them. But only one night. It's all she dared risk staying in this home, and not because of Eric Northman. Because she was a danger to anyone she crossed paths with. Hopefully one night wasn't enough to impart her curse on this house or these people.


	12. Give my gun away when it's loaded

**A/N: Ok first let me start this off by apologizing for taking so long with this chapter. Real life issues have kept my very busy these last few weeks. I had to plan out my sister's thirteenth birthday party and I got a pretty nasty chest cold. That being said this chapter also gave me soo much trouble. I re-wrote it like fifteen times… and I'm really not exaggerating that number, and I just couldn't put up a chapter I wasn't a hundred percent sure in. The boyfriend thinks I'm crazy, we had the "Oh writing the next chapter already", "Nope re-writing the last one", conversation quite a few times. I don't foresee such a long delay ever happening again, but we all know how dependable life can be… note sarcasm. :) Hope the chapter makes up for the long wait.**

**And of course thanks to ThatGirl54, sluggysmom, sage1993, kpkisses, Princess-Maiden, Mich430, powergirl24, mvolner, and Trickster707, for all your great reviews. I really took my time with this chapter and looked it over for errors, I hope I did well at catching them all.**

**And of course I hope you all enjoy and please r&r thanks. :)**

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Taryn sipped her third cup of coffee as she leaned against the now clean counter top in Sookie's now clean kitchen. The kitchen was just like the rest of the house. Clean. She'd started by just cleaning up the room she was staying in to be helpful and so she wouldn't accidentally break anything. But after that she figured she'd give the rest a go. She had to start changing her sleeping patterns anyway, best to start before her first day of work. And what better way to keep herself awake than to keep her body and mind busy.

So some five hours, a bunch of household cleaner, ten trash bags, and her own special elbow grease, later and the place was spotless. Every room in tip top shape, all clothing and linens she'd found in one piece was washed, folded and sitting on Sookie's bed. She'd even found two boxes and filled them with all the discarded knick knacks. One box for all the items that were still intact and one for all the broken items. That way there was no question about whether or not that priceless clock was really broken or stashed away in her car. The out door siding was a wreck still, but Sookie would have to get a power washer for that, but she did clean off the porch.

Now she was stuck. She still had about two hours to kill till sunrise and she really needed to stay awake till about eleven if she was really going to set up her new sleeping pattern. Awake from seven at night to eleven in the morning would cover work and any possible dance auditions. Sleeping from eleven in the morning to seven at night would give her a good eight hours of sleep. So by the clock on the wall she still had to be up for another seven hours. She eyed the half empty pot of coffee. It really only had to last her another two hours, till dawn.

Then she could drive to the gym get a good work out in, which could easily kill four hours and that would leave her with only one hour left, which would cover the drive back to Fangtasia. She could park in the side lot and set up for sleep. Sounded like a good plan… except she really had no idea how she was going to last another two hours. She started rummaging through a cabinet and found what she was hoping for. A thermos, and she poured the remaining coffee inside. She then set another pot to percolate before adding milk and sugar to the thermos. She rinsed the cup and took the thermos upstairs, with an idea in mind.

Twenty minutes later she was halfway done with the thermos and had picked out an outfit for her first night at work. She really thought that it would have eaten up a hell of a lot more time. She then moved to the front door. She always felt refreshed and tranquil when she sat outside and the best thing about the country was there was always something interesting to watch. With a sigh she headed outside and moved to the porch swing in the far left. She sat in it sideways so her feet rested on the bench and she could stare at the night. Eyes roaming over the dancing leaves and ears listening to natures symphony. A calm came over her and just when she finally felt that wonderful peace did the small notion that Eric would feel it too, popped into her head and any thoughts of calm completely disappeared.

She actually audibly cursed as the thought of the Viking filled her head, and of course she hated to even think about it, but she could still feel his cool lips pressing to hers if she focused on it too long. The fact that the kiss hadn't been terrible even though she didn't want it only increased her anger. She was so stupid to bite him, but all her punching and shoving hadn't worked. She could have kneed him in the balls but she refused to do that to a man ever since she watched her older brother cry and vomit when she'd…. She stopped that thought right in it's tracks, but it was too late, the emotional flood gates were open.

Her heart shattered all over again, it felt like all the air in North America had simply disappeared and a tractor trailer had parked itself on her chest. Her fingers gripped her khakis, she tried to hold them in but she could see the image of the trees and grass begin to blur and sure enough she felt the hot tears spill down her cheeks. As she sobbed a clasp of thunder rang out and it was the only warning there was before rain started to pour down. The sound of it on the porch tapping out a rhythm to her misery. He her hands moved to her face and she let the overwhelming sadness take over. There was no running from this pain. Try as hard as she might, she could only lock it away for so long before it figured out the combination. She continued to let the tears fall till everything tunneled out on her. Till all she heard was the drone of the rain and all she felt was the searing pain in her chest. When a chilling presence came up before her she didn't have to lift her eyes to know who it was. She knew who had come and why he came. Eric-fucking-Northman, her personal devil and savior all wrapped into one.

**…**

He'd been sitting in his regular seat at Fangtasia minding his own business when suddenly it felt like his chest was in a vice and he knew instantly it was because of Taryn. He was out of his club and in the line of trees just to the side of Sookie's house in an instant.

That's when he saw her sitting on the swing, her face in her palms but even through the rain he could smell her tears. He watched for a moment, wondering if he should just leave since she wasn't in any danger and seeing him would probably piss her off, but then she did the oddest thing, she lifter her head and he could see those sharp eyes looking right at him, he was hidden among the trees, but he had a feeling she would be able to point out exactly where he was. Her sobbing had stopped but her tears still fell, undeterred by her actions.

"Come out Eric… I know you're there." She said calmly. Question was how the hell did she know. He was so shocked he found his feet moving himself out of the trees. He continued to watch her as he walked to the house and up the stairs, but her eyes never moved to track his movement. Only when he was at the top of the steps did she finally turn to look at him and the shattered emptiness that showed in her eyes made him pause. More tears welled and spilled down her cheeks before she turned away. He then continued towards her. He stood for a moment by the swing before she let her feet down and slid to the end giving him room. He sat next to her and stared at her profile. They sat there in silence for a while, Taryn's tears still falling, his eyes still glued to her profile, hers glued to the spot before her. Finally he was the one to break the silence.

"Why are you crying?" He asked and all she did was shrug her shoulders. "Dammit Taryn for once could you open up." He said a little harshly but the frustration of the mystery that was Taryn was starting to get to him. She finally turned and pegged him with a look that was none to kind.

"Pot calling, kettle black." Was all she said and she had him there.

"Well I'm not the one sitting here crying so there isn't anything for me to divulge right now." He said and watched her wipe at a few tears.

"No?" She queried, her voice thick with emotion but the accusation was still very obvious.

"Is there?" He countered.

"Why are you here?" She questioned severely.

"Because you're upset and I felt it."

"That still doesn't tell me why you're here. Me being upset isn't enough for you to come running." She angrily wiped at some more tears. It was amazing to watch, she was so strong, his appearance rising anger in her and she was attacking him with questions yet her tears refused to slow, like whatever unleashed them wouldn't quit till there were no more tears to cry.

"Well at first it didn't feel like you were upset, all I felt was this pain in my chest and I thought you were in trouble."

"And when you saw I wasn't in trouble why didn't you just leave." She countered as soon as his explanation was out of his mouth.

"You called me over."

"You still didn't have to come." She responded again viciously.

"I wanted to." He said and only now did he notice her tears had started to slow.

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because Why?" She yelled.

"Because I care ok, is that what you want to hear. That I'm starting to actually care about you." He nearly screamed it at her, the barrage of her questions and the vehement way she unloaded them upon him bringing him to the edge. He had to give her credit, she didn't even flinch. She stared at him, eyes flicking from side to side as she searched his features to see if he was lying, and he wished he was. He knew he was looking at her harshly and he was glad when she looked away. He could battle with his conflicting emotions safely out of the scrutiny of her way too intelligent gaze. He stared out watching the rain fall upon the grass, seeing it bounce off the leave of the bushes just in front of the porch. The silence was awkward the only thing filling it was the sound of the rain that seemed to be starting to slow. It was obvious both of them were unable to process the bomb he'd dropped and just as he was about to get up and leave, save whatever dignity he had left, only then did she speak.

"I'm crying because I'm lonely and sad." She said and as he looked to her once more.

"Why are you sad and lonely?" He asked.

"I'm lonely because have no one to turn to. I'm all alone, and even the people that are around me I can't get close to… and that makes me sad."

"Why can't you get close to people?" He questioned and he heard the rain begin to pick up again.

"Because I'm dangerous." She said, her voice thick with emotion again.

"How are you dangerous?" He queried.

"I'm a curse to everyone I meet, something always happens to the people I care about. So I just make it so that I don't have anyone to care about and move as soon as I do."

"I know you're hiding from something Taryn, what are you hiding from." He asked but the tears started spilling freshly down her cheeks and she shook her head with fervor. "I can protect you."

"I don't doubt that, but it's not your fight, it's mine."

"You're not even fighting, you're running." He said unable to stop the anger in his voice.

"I know… just trust me when I say that by running, I'm winning a far more important fight."

"If it's money you owe than… I can." He started but she cut him off.

"It's not money Eric… It's me they want… it's always been me and what I can do, what I used to do."

"And what's that?" He asked and she looked at him.

"Nothing."

"Tell me something Taryn. I know you don't want me protecting you, but guess what. I'm going to whether you like it or not, and if I'm going to do it to the best of my abilities I need something. Or I'm likely to get hurt. " He said feeling like a crass bastard for guilting her, but he saw her shoulders slump and knew that it worked. "Is it human or non-human."

"Human, but … even saying that much is giving him too much credit. He's dangerous, cold blooded… psychotic." She said softly wiping some more tears away.

"Him?" He questioned, noticing her slip, she'd been smart to say they before but this specific pronoun told him a lot, told him there was only one person after her, which was better than a group since a group can be in many places at once where the opposite was true for a single threat. But a single threat was small and mobile easier to hide than a group.

"Shit." She spat realizing her slip.

"So how did you get tangled up with someone so dangerous and so intent to hunt you down?"

"Not willingly. He saw me, doing something no normal person can do. So he followed me and approached me. Told me if I didn't work with him, he'd turn me into the government, and he didn't need to tell me what that meant. That meant I'd spend the rest of my life chained to some doctor's table and be nothing more than a science experiment. I… I couldn't live like that. So I went to work for him. At first it was all really simple stuff, not even illegal, and he paid me. I was nothing more than a gifted employee, and he took care of me. Kept me safe, made sure my family was safe and guarded, so that me working for him wouldn't end up hurting me in any way. I even started to look up to him… so when he started asking for bigger jobs, I didn't even bat an eye. I just wanted to please him, it was like this weird Stockholm Syndrome. He was pretty much my captor, one word from him and it was a cell and lab equipment with twenty four hours surveillance and … shit, I fucking ended up loving him. Nothing happened with him till I was of age, but by then that line between legal and illegal started to get fuzzier and fuzzier till it just wasn't there anymore. Then… then he asked me to do something… something I really just couldn't do. He didn't even ease me into it, just sprung it on me in a situation where I couldn't not do what he ordered without making him look bad… but I couldn't, and he lost it on me. Hit me, screamed at me… dragged me to his car by my hair, beat me while driving me back to his place, dragged me into his house, beat me a little more, and locked me in a room. Funny thing was, all that I could take, I figured that would be it. He'd take out his anger on me and then we'd move on, cause I'd been so loyal and I'd been fucking him for, god, like two years at that point. I thought I loved him and he loved me.

When he came back for me a few hours later, he opened the door without a word, wouldn't look at me, wouldn't speak to me until I was at my car. And he said to me… your disloyalty has repercussions. I just thought that meant there would be more beatings to come, and I was fine with that, but I found out a little later that hitting me was only the beginning. I drove home and I remember cleaning myself up in my car and applying make up just down the road to hide the bruises, and trying to figure out a way to explain my busted lip. Once I had an excuse I started down the road, only to see a bunch of fire trucks parked outside my house. The whole thing had just been reduced to ashes and they were dragging out four body bags. He killed my fucking family. I wanted to kill him but I knew that if I did that I would be just like him and there would be no turning back for me, plus I knew he did it in some sick way to keep me working for him, scare me into staying. Only it completely cured me of my sick dependence on him and cut all ties I had to my old life… so I ran, and you … you don't run from him. He found me the first few times, and everyone I stayed with suffered because of it, punishment for helping keep me from him. So I got smarter about where I hid, never lived with anyone, always stayed by myself, kept to myself. I realized if I was going to live I was going to have to run for the rest of my life, and that's what I've been doing." She said and he was completely enrapt with her story, her tears falling at first steadily, then slowing as she dove into her own tale, and then starting a new when she spoke of her family's death.

"Doesn't sound like much of a life." He said softly.

"I know." She said with a bitter laugh. "But that's why I still dance. It's the only thing I have left that still brings me happiness. If I didn't have that I don't know what I'd do. I'd probably would have eaten a bullet a long time ago."

"Well let's be thankful that you didn't." He said and she gave him a look, obviously surprised by his kind comment, and so was he, but after hearing her tale he couldn't help but feel that bond that had started between them becoming stronger.

"Tell me something Eric." She stated suddenly.

"What?"

"I dunno, just tell me something personal. I just gave you something huge, something I haven't told anyone in five years, hell twelve years really, cause my family never knew that I used to work for… him. I just… I dunno I showed you my scars… now you show me yours, just tell me something about yourself…. Anything no one else knows … please." She said and he could see the desperation in her eyes, feel her deep need to have something of him, like he now had of her. He stared at her for a moment and couldn't deny her request as much as he wanted to.

"Something no one knows… well no one knows why I really chose to come to Louisiana." He said and watched her shift to turn towards him, lifting her feet to rest on the bench between them as she hugged her knees. "I chose Louisiana because it rarely snows here, and when it does it barely lasts the day, and snow reminds me of my childhood and the family that I lost."

"How did you loose them?"

"Werewolves, they killed my father and mother, completely destroyed my little sister." He found himself saying.

"How old was she."

"Four months." He said as he stared out at the trees, the rain had slowed to the point where it was just a mist that hung in the air.

"Oh my god… I'm sorry." She said and he shrugged. "It never get's easier huh?" She asked and he found himself shaking his head no.

"At least I still have mementos to remember my family, your's must have burned in the fire."

"Yeah all I have is that car and this." She said extracting a small locket from inside her shirt. She had some difficulty doing so and it seemed like it was actually tucked tightly into her bra, the chain was long enough that she could and the chain so delicate it nearly disappeared against her skin, which would explain why had hadn't saw it before now. She passed her finger over the ornate gold heart before dropping it. "I lied to you, you know." She said suddenly and he found himself arching a brow.

"About what?"

"Well when I had my night terrors, I did remember what they were about… they're always the same. I see my family … burning, hear then screaming and I'm powerless to save them, and when you asked me why I was crying, I was crying because I'm lonely and sad but what really sparked it was… I was thinking about … the kiss earlier. And I was trying to figure out a different way I could have gone about getting you off of me instead of biting you, and getting your blood in me. The only thing that came to my mind was kneeing you in the groin. But then I remembered that I vowed never to do that to a man after I saw the horrible effect it had on my older brother Ryan. I was six and my older sister Ivy had dared me to do it, but even at that age, when I saw what happened when I did… I knew it was unfair to do that to a man, that's not trying to kill or rape me of course. But as soon as I thought of them… my heart just broke all over again. The last lie… I'm not a psychic nullifier… I know you knew that already but… now I'm admitting that I'm not."

"You still won't tell me what you are though." He said.

"Nope." She said and he had to laugh.

"Why not?"

"Because there's always an agenda with you Eric. Don't get me wrong this… now… is really nice and exactly what I needed. Someone to talk to and even though I'm sure you'd love to find out all my secrets I can tell that wasn't what motivated you tonight. But I can't be sure that once you know… you won't want to use me too. Plus I can tell you're the flakey type. As soon as you get bored you move on. What's to say the novelty of what I am won't wear off for you. Plus keeping you interested… keeps me safe. So yeah part of me not letting you know every little thing, is me baiting you to keep you interest and keep you protecting me."

"Will you ever tell me?"

"Maybe when I'm a hundred percent sure I can trust you."

"Do you think you ever will."

"No… yes… maybe… I don't know." She said as she put her feet to the floor once more looking out at the trees. "Can you blame me if I don't."

"No." He said plainly and this time she was the one to laugh quickly and shortly. She stood and moved to railing surrounding the porch. Her hand rested on the banister and he stayed seated for a moment watching her profile and the way the moonlight bounced off her skin and how the wind toyed with her hair. He stood then and moved to her. She turned and leaned against one of the posts. He reached out and took the delicate locket between his fingers, standing only inches away from her, even with the slight space between them he could feel the heat coming off of her. "Can I see?" He questioned and she nodded. He opened it and saw that it was only filled with one photo. Her mother and father stood proudly side by side with their three children standing in front. A boy surrounded by his two sisters. The father was tall and strapping with brilliant red hair and piercing blue eyes. The mother was small and statuesque with chestnut hair, dazzling green eyes, and café au late skin. The brother was almost a duplicate of his father except for hazel eyes and he had his mother's hair, but the facial features even at his young age were already that of his father. Then his eyes moved to the two girls. The only way he could pick out which one Taryn was, was from her eyes that he now realized were a mix of her mother and fathers, her sister's however were more blue than green. Other than that and the one inch difference they were identical and he wondered how much of an age difference was between them, wondered if maybe they were Irish twins. Born the same year only nine or so months apart.

"How much older is your sister?" He questioned.

"Thirty one minutes… we were twins."

"Really?" He asked, completely floored.

"Yeah thirty one minutes, might as well have been thirty one years to Ivy she tried to treat me more like she was my mother." She said and he closed the locket and put it back.

"Was she like you too?" He asked.

"No… very Herculean right? Twins are born, one a simple mortal, the other the sun of a god. She always resented me for that. That I was born different and she got nothing."

"So your family knew?"

"Yeah, it was hard to hide when I was young. My family accepted it, they didn't understand it, hell neither did I, but they accepted it, but it permanently put a wedge between me and Ivy, and when my father gave me the car and not her… she was livid. For twins we were surprisingly very distant, I was closer to my brother than her, but she kept my secret. They all did… until." He words cut off and he watched as more tears started to collect in her eyes. He raised his hands to catch them as they ran down her cheeks his hands cupping her face as his thumbs wiped them away. She looked up at him, those aquamarine eyes large and sad, her plump bottom lip quivering. He leaned in, her gaze pulling him towards her, his lips closing the short distance between them. He stopped just before his mouth touched hers, leaving the slightest space between their lips. He could feel her warm breath caress over his skin, and her intoxicating scent completely filled him, in his nose, on his tongue, deep in his lungs. Before he kissed her he did something he hadn't done in a long time, hell he didn't think he ever had to in all his years.

"Can I?" He asked ever so softly, and waited with baited breath for her permission.


	13. In your eyes, I see ribbons of color

**A/N: Big Thank You to DanI AnneMarie, ThatGirl54, sluggysmom, artemidoula, Trickster707, SharkGurl, Mich430, kpkisses, Lady Ivalyn, Esvisionik, ChristabelLaMotte, the anonymous reviewer with no name, yifrodit, and ajp81 for all your wonderful reviews**

**Enjoy the next chapter and please R&R**

* * *

Taryn's breath caught in her throat as his thumbs traced a path over her cheeks wiping away her tears. When she looked up into those crystal blue eyes she forgot how to breath entirely. The look in his eyes was something she never thought she'd ever see. She expected contempt, anger, cool indifference, devilish mischief, never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd look into Eric Northman's eyes and see sympathy and compassion.

As he began to lean towards her, she knew what he intended, and she was powerless to stop him. Her mind was a jumbled mess of whether or not she should let him kiss her, that it rendered her paralyzed. Half of her brain screamed that she should push him away, it wasn't safe to get attached. The other half cried in desperation, so desperate for once to have felt physical affection from someone other than…. "Him".

She was trembling as his lips paused, so close she could feel the coolness of him there before her. Her head was so at odds with itself she swore it was going to snap her right in half, separate in to two completely different selves and war with each other. Sure she'd wanted things she knew she shouldn't want before, but never so viciously and totally that she feared for her sanity, but then he did something that completely tipped the scales. He asked her permission. His regard for her feelings and desires is what sealed the deal. That side of her that screamed a warning fell silent and her head gave the barest of nods, and as his lips finally closed the distance to hers any residual doubts completely disappeared.

His lips were cool on hers but feather soft, a light tender caress that in it's slight pressure was almost innocent yet surprisingly didn't feel chaste. His hands holding her face, were so gentle, like he was afraid she'd break if he handled her to roughly. Such concern had more tears prickling at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall, cause she knew if she cried, he'd stop, and in this moment she wanted a lot a things, but never that.

He pulled his lips from hers and she felt her hands grip his shirt, and only then did she realize her hands had found their way to his back. She had to force herself not to follow his lips as he began to retreat from her, not wanting it to end but not wanting to seem to needy. She was relived when his lips brushed her once more for another kiss. Again the kiss started feather light, but soon he sank in a little deeper, applying more pressure to her lips. Her hand slid up his back and she could feel the powerful muscles rolling beneath her hands as he hunched down to kiss her. The tension in them was extraordinary, yet his touch was soft, almost reverent, as one hand slid to the back of her neck, the other drifting down her shoulder.

His mouth began to retreat once more, and instinctively her head followed, but she was able to stop herself from forcing to keep the contact of their mouths, but again he came back, his lips this time taking her bottom lip between his. He began sucking the sensitive flesh gently and the sensation was so deliciously wonderful and alien to her she heard a gasp catch in her throat as her backed arched of it's own volition. She could feel his lips tug into a slight smile against hers before his tongue took a drugging sweep against the sensitive flesh, and she whimpered.

The hand on her shoulder coursed downward and she stiffened, unable to control the reaction of her body when it was so sure his hand was going course over her breast, but he switched directions at the very last second, and his hand instead caressed the inside of her arm, and then curled in under her breast, fingers trailing down her ribs before settling on her hip. His tongue made another sweep and flick and she shivered, relaxing in his arms, one hand moving to delve in his hair, tangling her fingers in the silky locks. The feel of it amazed her. Eric Northman seemed so hard that if you touched him he'd feel like stone, but the hair between her fingers and the lips pressing against her were so… soft, velvety even.

Her nails scratched lightly at his back, and up to this point he'd been the driver. Leading their kiss and so far he'd seemed a little distant from it, removed from the emotions as he did everything to trigger them in her. However, as her nails gently scored his back through the shirt, she heard a very masculine sound rumble in his chest, an erotic purr that vibrated against her hand. His hand gripped her hip and his lips retreated again only to plant more soundly against her lips, his parting ever so slightly. Her own followed suit parting in accord with his. As soon as his tongue snaked forward passing between her lips to mingle with her tongue she felt him stiffen as he got a true taste of her mouth. The erotic purr turned to a sensual growl as his hands knotted in her hair and gripped her hip tightly.

His whole body surged forward with the kiss until she felt the press of the support beam against her back. She felt the cool damp wood press against her spine and then Eric stepped forward one more step, putting that 6'4 muscular frame against hers and she couldn't feel a thing, not the water seeping into her shirt and trickling down her spine, not the floor beneath her feet, she couldn't feel anything accept for the cool weight of him gently crushing her into the beam as he growled and kissed her soundly.

At first their tongue's simply gild against one another, testing and tasting but soon grew deeper, more wanton. The taste of him was crisp, like melting snow on her tongue and his coolness sent chills through her body. Her chest heaved as her hands roamed his body only to claw at the hem of his shirt pulling it free from where it was tucked into his pants. When her hands slid underneath finally feeling that marble smooth skin, he jerked and hissed, and she knew instinctively it was because to him her hands would feel like fire trailing on his skin. She only had a second to worry that he might not enjoy the sensation before he groaned into her mouth and pressed his hips more soundly into the cradle of hers. A light whimper sounded out of her mouth before their kiss intensified to even more desperate and intoxicating levels. Eric nearly fed at her mouth, using tongue and lips and teeth to make her hot and wanting.

His hands fisting in her hair and the other clinging to her hip let go suddenly and she heard them grip the support behind her, bringing him even closer. She arched against him, her own hands sliding over his skin, and when she set her nails into his back she felt his muscles tense as he arched against her. She heard the wood behind her groan in protest under his hands and felt him drop them to his side. The action put the barest of space between their bodies but Taryn wanted none of that. Her arms slid around his neck and his hands came to her waist sliding down, her hips to grip at her thighs. She felt a slight whirl of vertigo as he then lifted her from the floor and took two steps to the porch swing. Their lips never parted, they never came up for air as he sat them in the swing, his hand moving to wrap around her back and tangle in her hair. With her on top and straddling his lap she became painfully aware of the reaction their kissing was having on him, but she was too far gone to care. She kissed him till she was dizzy, and when one hand slip lower, cupping her bottom and pulling her more soundly against that aching length of him she gasped and moaned. She then took his lip between hers, suckling and sweeping her tongue against it, all the time getting encouraging groans from Eric, and when she set her teeth into the sensitive flesh she heard and audible click followed by Eric's body nearly jackknifing under her, his hands grinding her hips into his.

When his tongue delved into her mouth once more she groaned but when her tongue swept into his she paused feeling his sharp fangs surrounding her tongue. Only then did reality start to claw it's way back into her skull. She pulled away suddenly and felt Eric's mouth immediately begin to pepper kisses down her neck. She was breathing so hard, her heart pounding in her chest and so faint her first efforts at stopping Eric were pitiful attempts at speech with little to no motivation to push him off of her. Soon her motor and speech functions came back on line and she was able to get a coherent word out of her mouth.

"Eric, we should stop." She whispered lightly, her body screaming at her for the betrayal, but to her amazement he stopped, pressing his forehead just below her neck, his face dangerously close to the swell of her breasts. She then heard a frustrating groan erupt from his lips.

**…**

Her acceptance was exactly what he was hoping for, but he was slow with his kiss, not wanting to scare her off, and also a little bit of him would admit that he wanted to savor the feeling as much as he could. The kisses were soft and lingering at first, enjoying the velvet feel of her lips on his, while her intoxicating scent nearly drugged him into euphoria. Her whimpers and gasps were like a symphony to his ears. The feel of her hands on him was a delicious torture as he tried to keep himself restrained, each pass of his tongue against her lips, and small shift of her body and sound from her throat making it all the more impossible to keep himself under control.

Then he felt her nails lightly score his back and he knew that she was right where he wanted her, he let his lips part and finally got a real taste of her, and that's when he nearly lost it. She tasted like some exotic fruit, all tart and alluring and mixed with her archaic womanly scent, it was a heady cocktail he wanted to drown in. It was nearly game over at that point, as he pushed her against the porch roof's support beam. He'd gotten himself under the barest minimum of control. Then he felt her tugging at his shirt and as soon as those dainty fingers of her pressed to his back he came undone. Her hands nearly seared his skin with her heat and it took all his resolve to remember she was fragile and could brake.

He moved closer, feeling all those lush curves against her as he devoured her mouth and to his delight she was right there along with him. He had to grip the support beam behind her at one point when he didn't trust his hands not to handle her to harshly, but as the wood groaned under the pressure of his hands he had to drop them or risk taking the roof down around them, and he was pleased when she threw her arms around his neck to keep their bodies in contact. He lifted her up and took them to the swing, where it all began for them. Their mental melding is surely what led to this, probably the most delicious surrender he'd ever felt. He could feel the echo of her emotions in his head and knew that she surrendered to the feelings, became a vehicle for her desire, the desire he was rising in her and that was what turned him on the most.

As she settled in his lap she didn't shy away from the reaction his body was having to her and it was another delicious torture to feel her weight brush against him, but not apply any pressure. Her pert rear felt right in his hand as he gripped her, pushing her against him and eliciting the most inspiring sounds from her and then she turned the table, and he was glad to surrender to her attentions, as she sucked, licked and finally bit at his bottom lip. The sharp pain of her teeth sinking lightly into his flesh stroked that beast within him, and he arched violently, grinding his hips into hers. His fangs sprang into his mouth and he kissed her almost savagely and felt her tongue slip in between them as he began to kiss him back, but then he felt those emotions falter and soon she was pulling away from his mouth. To distract her and keep her in the moment he began kissing her neck, smelling her blood rushing beneath her skin was another luscious punishment, but soon the words he was fearing came out of her mouth.

He leaned his head just below her neck, feeling like he should take a calming breath, but not really needing it. He couldn't help the groan that forced it's way out of his chest before he leaned back to look at her. God he liked the way she looked, her lips were a delicious shade of red and swollen from their kiss, and her face was flushed a wonderful pink color, a little darker at her cheeks. Her hair was a wild mass of waves that fell around her shoulders and her eyes were that hypnotic sea blue and he could see the gleam of yearning within them.

"Why?" He questioned.

"Because… we're outside, and won't it be dawn soon.?" She asked.

"Yes in about a half an hour." He replied

"Is that enough time for you to get back to Fangtasia?" She questioned with true concern.

"Only just." He responded.

"Then you should be going, so you can get there safely." She said shifting out of his lap and moving to sit next to him on the bench, he was so tempted to not let her go but he settled for holding her legs so they draped across his lap.

"Or you could invite me inside and we can lock ourselves in a room, pull the shades and continue this through the rest of the day." He said his lips curling into a mischievous grin.

"Fat chance at that ever happening." She said with a slight smile.

"The, You inviting me inside part, or the, us spending the day together part."

"Both." She said with a blush and he couldn't help but grin, a hand lifting to brush the hair out of her face.

"Stubborn." He said lightly and watched her give him a bemused grin.

"Pot calling, kettle black." She said and he chuckled lightly.

"Touché." He said and watched her turn her head to look at the horizon. "Will you come back to Fangtasia during the day?" He asked.

"Am I allowed to?" She questioned, eyes still on the horizon as she pushed her locks from her face, she then looked to him, showing that she was indeed wary of his answer, afraid he was going to tell her she was no longer welcome.

"Of course, you have a performance to practice for remember?" He said and felt the sharp sting of rejection and knew that it came from her.

"Right." She said, eyes turning to look off in the other direction, and mentally he kicked himself. He should have known that her asking if she was still allowed at Fangtasia was a way of her finding out if he wanted her to return, instead of reassuring her he'd mentioned work and wounded her. He was about to say something to fix his mess, unsure of what exactly to say, but surely anything was better than leaving off on a bad note. She cut him off before he could speak. "I'll see you at dusk then."

"Taryn…"

"Will whoever's watching the door know to expect me?" She cut him off again and felt her emotions shutting down.

"Yes I'll make sure of it."

"And they'll know I'm allowed to use the stage and what not?"

"They'll know that you have free reign of the entire building."

"Except for the basement." She said and he could feel the bitterness in her emotions but surprisingly her words were devoid of it.

"No, you have access to that now." He said and watched the shock register on her face.

"Really, what changed?"

"I'm pretty positive that you won't come down and stake me in my sleep."

"That's a very big risk to take."

"I know… I am trying Taryn." He said and watched her give him an analytical sweep of her eyes.

"I know." She said softly and they both knew without saying that they were referring to his early rebuff and not the current topic at hand. She then shifted her feet off of his lap and stood. "You really should go now, or you're going to have to hide in the ground."

"You'd really deny me entrance with the threat of the sun so close?"

"Yup… it's not my home to grant you entrance into."

"If it was?"

"Maybe." She said with a bashful little half smile.

"Maybe is better than a no."

"Maybe is better than a no, now you better get before you risk burning yourself or waking up a very dirty vampire."

"Oh I'm a dirty vampire every second of every day." He said with a wicked grin. She smiled in turn with a shake of her head.

"Oh god, Get out." She said lightly, a laugh coloring her words. He laughed in turn, putting a hand on her waist and pulled her towards him. She came with a slight stumble craning her neck to look up at him. He leaned towards her and watched as her eyes fluttered closed. He smiled at the minor sign of submission before he kissed her goodbye.

**…**

Taryn expected a kiss upon her lips but was surprised when she felt his cool lips press to her forehead, his finger brushing her cheek. Then there was a gust of wind that blew her crimson locks about her and when she opened her eyes he was gone. His lips and finger still a cool memory upon her skin.

God that kiss, it had started sweet and ended hot. She almost hated that she had to stop it, but she knew where it was headed and that could prove disastrous. Still she couldn't deny that Eric could kiss, and she was really convinced that that had been her first kiss. Cause if what Eric did was kissing, no man had ever come remotely close to it. She only had one other experience to compare it to but even so the difference was light years apart. She forced herself to go upstairs and gather her things so she could depart once Sookie returned. She then came back to the spot she left.

She was still standing there thinking of the kiss as the sunlight broke over the horizon, and as big of a mistake it had been, she wouldn't take it back for the world. Eric was probably just as dangerous as her former lover, but at least he didn't hide what he really was. Didn't fool her for years. Sure he had some things he had to work on, but dealing with a human was probably not his forte, but he'd get better at it, the more they… just as the thought popped into her head she froze. Thoughts like that were so dangerous she'd be safer gargling razor blades. She was falling for Eric which was way against rule number two. Don't get attached. Which was just below rule number one. Do anything to survive.

"Oh Taryn… you are in trouble." She whispered to herself staring at the trees dancing in the early morning light.

"Who you talkin' to?" She heard to her side, jumping in fright she turned to the source, seeing Sookie trudging up the steps towards her with a fresh bite wound on her neck.

"No one."

"Why are you up?" She asked as she flopped down in the swing, Taryn had to turn her eyes away, the memories keeping her from looking at it, without blushing.

"I needed to change my sleeping patterns, I'm working nights now so I thought it would be best to start that change as soon as possible."

"Smart."

"Thanks." Taryn stared out at the horizon as Sookie's eyes scoured her porch.

"Did you clean this?" She questioned.

"Yeah I got friendly with your broom."

"That's so sweet of you." Sookie said with a smile and Taryn shrugged, inwardly wondering what Sookie would say when she saw the rest of the house and slightly glad she planned on being in her car and on her way to Fangtasia by then.

"Just being a good house guest." She looked to the horizon again and sighed.

"Did something happen while I was gone? " Sookie asked and Taryn turned to look at her and could see the analytical look Sookie was giving her. She was tempted to blow the question off with some noncommittal answer but dammit if some girl talk didn't sound perfect in this moment.

"Eric came by." Taryn admitted.

"Oh my god, I knew me and Bill should have stayed here with you."

"No… it actually, it was fine, good even, and I didn't invite him in your home, so you're still safe."

"You actually enjoyed Eric's company?" Sookie asked her voice rife with disbelief and Taryn laughed softly.

"Hard to imagine huh?"

"Yeah, how… and please don't take any offense to this but ever since I've meet Eric he only seems interested in my abilities… how can you be sure he's not interested in you only for that reason."

"None taken, and the thought has crossed my mind… but he doesn't know about my abilities… all he knows is that he can't glamour me. For all he knows my abilities can be completely useless to him."

"Are they?" Sookie asked and Taryn eyed her warily. "Never mind I'm stickin' my nose where it don't belong I can tell from that look." Taryn gave a slight smile.

"Anything that you can do and no one else can is useful to someone." Taryn said.

"Oh I hear you there." Sookie said while stretching and yawning, and she looked to the bag at Taryn's feet. "Are you planning to leave now?"

"Yeah, It's not like I want to get out of here as soon as possible, it's just now that things are smoothed over with Eric I should get back. I have a performance to start working on, and I can only do it there, and I figured during the day is the best time to work on it without Eric's watchful eye."

"I can't convince you to come in for some breakfast… maybe just a cup of coffee?" Sookie asked.

"A full stomach and hours of dance practice don't mix well, and I've already consumed a pot of coffee just trying to stay up till now, having anymore just sounds like I'm begging to get a kidney stone. Thank you though, for everything. Regardless of not being able to escape Eric for a night, even just those few hours helped and it ended up working out for the best… if I can ever do anything to repay you…"

"Well you're welcome, and nonsense you don't do a good deed and expect anything in return."

"Well if you ever need any help, I owe ya one."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sookie said as Taryn lifted the bag and slung it over her shoulder. Sookie stood and moved to Taryn grabbing her into a hug that made Taryn freeze momentarily before giving back a slightly more timid and awkward hug.

"Thanks, again." Taryn said once Sookie had released her.

"Anytime." Sookie said with a smile and Taryn made her way down the stairs, thankful that Sookie waited to see her off before going in her home. She had an inkling she'd never get away when Sookie saw what she'd done in her home. The gratitude the blonde had shown for something so simple as sweeping her porch had been more than she'd assumed, when she saw the fact that the whole house was clean, Taryn would be lucky if she could sneak away sometime in the next week. She climbed into her car, dumping her bag into the passenger seat, she started the car and gave Sookie a goodbye wave, which the blonde returned happily, before pulling off.

The drive back to Fangtasia was uneventful but even all the caffeine in her system didn't stave off the sudden drowsiness that always seemed to plague her when she drove by herself. She made it in record time, not wanting to be so tired by the time she arrived at Fangtasia that she wouldn't be able to stay awake and get her routine started, if not finished. She was pretty good at coming up with a new full routine in a day, and giving herself the rest of the week to polish it up and tweak it was perfect. The hardest part was going to be finding the right song.

She pulled into the parking lot next to Eric's cherry red corvette and grasped her bag. She then walked around to the front and knocked on the door, making sure her face was visible to the security camera. She was glad to hear the door lock click shortly after she knocked, whoever was watching the door was actually watching the door and not slacking off, cause her energy was flagging and flagging fast. When the door swung open Taryn's eyes had to lift and then lift a little higher before she could look in the door watcher's eyes, and as soon as she took in the sight before her, she felt her mouth drop open slightly. The man standing before her was actually taller than Eric… just an inch or so, but still taller, which was an impossible feat. He was also drop dead gorgeous with dark shaggy hair and a neat yet slightly thick beard, and the sudden flare of lust was better six pots of coffee any day.

"You must be Miss Le Fay." The mountain of hot male before her said with a rough voice that still managed to have that southern, shy, humble boy quality. "Mr. Northman told me to expect you… I'm Alcide Herveaux."


	14. Yeah my friends they are so beautiful

**A/N: I wanna give a huge thank you to Jeanie91, Trickster707, SharkGurl, JoMarie Laycock, dean catcher, kakashi-luver, kpkisses, Princess-Maiden, ajp81, mich430, ChristabelLaMotte, AlexJade, Arlo Northman, and len for all your wonderful reviews.**

**Hope you all enjoy this next chapter and as always please R&R.**

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She stood there for a moment simply staring and Alcide simply looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to respond. She gave a shake of her head to clear it.

"Uhh… yeah I'm Taryn." She said as she took a step inside and instinctively Alcide went to take the bag from her shoulder

"Here let me get that."

"Oh… uh thanks." She said lightly handing it over and he simply gave her a slightly shy smile with a nod of his head. He walked to the door that led to the back and Taryn followed and he stopped at her door. She opened it and he then handed her bag back to her, stopping just before the threshold of the door. She dumped the thing on the bed and turned to face him, determined make a good impression and not wanting to come off like a blithering idiot, something she hadn't been succeeding at yet.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Alcide." she said extending her hand and he simply grew very uncomfortable but didn't put his hand in hers. She closed her hand into a fist and brought it back to her side, trying not to let the sting of rejection and confusion show on her face, but some of it must have shown through cause he immediately grew apologetic.

"I'm sorry, it's nothing personal… I'm just under strict instructions from Eric, I'm not allowed to touch you in any manner unless I'm protecting you from harm, and I'm also not allowed to step foot into your room. Normally I wouldn't care what that fanger tells me to do but… he seemed very serious about his threats and I.. really don't want to test him with what… he put on the line, on the line."

"He threatened your manhood didn't he?" She questioned and Alcide merely grew extremely uncomfortable and even blushed a little.

"So he told me to expect that you'll be using the facilities to practice for your dance performance and I'm to give you full run of the place. So I'll just leave you to that." He said changing the subject with a polite and still rather embarrassed nod. He then reached in and began closing her door.

"Sorry you have to deal with that." She said before he could close the door all the way and he merely shrugged before closing the door completely. She waited till she could hear his footsteps retreating to the bar before she let the short snicker pass her lips

"That sneaky bastard." Taryn said to herself with a laugh and a shake of her head. She knew she should be mad but she couldn't help but feel a little flattered that Eric would go through the trouble. She then started unpacking her bag. She tried to pick out the least revealing workout outfit, but that was severely limited. She couldn't wear shorts that were too long nor any kind of shirt with a sleeve, the more skin showing the more holds she had available to her, and there for more tricks she could pull on the pole. She sighed deeply and tried to ignore the nervousness that set up in her stomach at the thought of having to practice with a set of eyes watching her, but after quickly rationalizing that if Eric didn't want Alcide touching her, he surely wouldn't him watching her either.

She quickly changed into a simple pair of spandex short shorts and a sports bra, she left the heels behind happy that Eric had given her full freedom. Not many performers enjoyed wearing those breakneck heels, and she was one of them. Thankfully now she wouldn't have to. She grabbed her ipod and headed out of her room.

She padded barefoot out to the bar and saw Alcide with his back turned behind the bar. At the sound of the door closing behind her he turned as his eyes landed upon her she watched his eyebrows raise, she simply gave a smile.

"Would you like a cup of coffee." He offered and she quickly made her way to the bar.

"You read my mind." She said as she hopped into a stool and he served her a steaming cup and then passed her milk and sugar. She added what she needed before taking a deep sip, only realizing after it hit her tongue that it was hazelnut a personal favorite of hers, and it was brewed to perfection.

"Damn… can you make me coffee everyday?" She said and Alcide laughed lightly.

"I can when I'm working." He said, before pouring himself a cup of his own. There was just this cloud of ease around him that Taryn couldn't help but get sucked in by. He was a good ole southern boy from his plaid shirt down to his work boots, he was the kind of man that could befriend a wild cougar and get it to willingly walk on a leash. As much as friends were against her rules for survival, she had a feeling she wasn't going to be able to give Alcide the brush off. Mainly cause hurting someone as nice as he was, would really make her feel like a bitch.

"You rock, but you're going to have to teach me your trick to brewing it, I usually burn the hell out of it, so it get's that nasty after taste." She said .

"I can't teach what comes natural." He said as he leaned against the back counter.

"Smooth." She said with a laugh taking another sip.

'"I didn't say it to be slick, I said it cause it's true." He had the grace to look a little bashful and when he spoke his tone was a matter-of-fact one, not like he was trying to sound cool.

"So where do these godly skills come from oh mighty one?"

"Wow if I had any doubts you came from New York that flavor of sarcasm just sealed it right there." He said and she simply laughed and took a sip of her coffee. "It comes from being a werewolf, my sense of smell is better than a humans so I can tell the exact moment when it's brewed correctly." Taryn's eyebrows rose at the mention of him being a werewolf. "Eric didn't tell you, did he?"

"No he didn't he simply told me whoever was at the door would expect me and know that I'm allowed to used the facilities to practice." She said and she saw for once that good ole boy, everything is great persona falter, as if he was worried. Whether he was worried that he'd said something he shouldn't and would get in trouble or that the fact that he was a werewolf might bother her, she wasn't sure. Since she could only reassure him of the latter, she did just that. "So you're a werewolf… you don't shed do you cause I wear a lot of black." Was all she said trying to hide her teasing smile by taking another sip of coffee, she was glad to see that good ole boy personality return.

"That's messed up." He said and she laughed.

"You know I'm only kidding right."

"Yeah."

"Good cause I wear a lot of colors besides black."

"Ok that's it, I'm not making any more coffee for you."

"Wait, no, come on I'm just joking."

"Yeah, yeah, now look at who's all apologetic. I threaten to take away your precious coffee and suddenly you're all sorry for making fun of the were, but before that it's all find and dandy."

"I had to reassure you that it didn't bother me some way. I'm from New York, all we have are sarcasm and passive aggressive humor. It really doesn't bother me that you're lunarly challenged and I'll stop poking fun at you. "

"Lunarly challenged…"

"What was that bad too?"

"No I just never heard it referred to like that… I actually kind of like that one."

"Good… So we cool?" She asked and he gave her an odd look like he found her urban vernacular amusing.

"Yeah we cool." He said mocking her turn of phrase lightly.

"I'd say we can shake on it but we don't want Eric harming little Alcide, so I'll leave it at that." She said while hoping off the bar stool, not trying too hard to hide her teasing smile.

"That's it." He said reaching for her cup of coffee, she managed to dodge him and give him an evil glare that still held a bit of a playful gleam.

"Yo I'd kill a man for less of an offense than trying to take away my lifeblood, you best remember that."

"Oh really." He said clearly not afraid as he reached for the cup again, she managed to dodge him one more.

"Reach for this cup again and you're pullin' away nubs instead of fingers, I promise you that."

"I'm so scared, what's a girl that weighs less than 130 lbs soaking wet, gonna do to a werewolf that's well over a foot taller and probably has a hundred pounds or more of muscle on her really gonna do?" He said in jest and obviously undaunted.

"Tell Eric that you came on to her." She said and watched the blood drain out of his face.

"That's playin dirty." He said.

"Yup." She said before she drained the rest of her coffee.

"You'd really do that?" He questioned as she crunched up the paper cup and tossed it in to the garbage behind the bar, it sunk into the garbage with a decisive flare.

"No wolf boy, contrary to my current words and actions I rather enjoy your company, so I wouldn't squeal on you to the big bad vampire, nor would I just make up a blatant lie like that. I just needed to say something that would distract you long enough so I could finish the coffee." She said with a cat that got the cream smile and to her satisfaction Alcide laughed.

"You're slick Yankee, I think I might actually like you."

"If you don't now you will soon enough, I grow on people like a fungus." She picked up the Ipod and began scrolling through songs, the music played out of the headphones dimly where they laid on the bar top, while Alcide began pouring another cup of coffee, he added milk and sugar and slid it across the bar to her. She looked up from her Ipod to give him a beaming smile. "Good to know you weren't making good on your threats to cut me off."

"Well it's the least I can do if you don't plan on making good of yours."

"True." She said scrolling through more music.

"What are you doin? If you don't mind me askin."

"Well I'm going through all my music, I have a big performance next Friday and I really need to make it a good one, since it's gonna be my first. Need to make a really good first impression on the clientele. The song has to really move me though… otherwise I won't connect with the music and the performance will be sub par. Shit I didn't even think to find out what kind of system they use for music."

"Eric mentioned something about that, said he specially installed something that would play off your Ipod."

"Awesome, that would have sucked if he didn't. Think you can do me a solid." He gave her another odd glance at her choice of words.

"Depends?"

"Well I'm gonna need to constantly start the song over and over again while I'm choreographing it out, it would make it super easy on me if you could just hit the repeat button for me instead of me having to come back and do it each time."

"Sounds doable."

"You rock, hard core." She said as she scrolled through more music, once she found a song she popped a headphone in her ear and shut her eyes playing it over a few times and phasing everything out so all she did was hear the music, her shoulders moved as she swayed ever so slightly to the song. When she was sure she'd found the right song she opened her eyes to see Alcide staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing… I'm just interested in witnessing this process." He said leaning against the back counter and crossing his arm over his chest.

"You're not going to watch the whole time are you?" She said the first hint of unease peaking through her playful banter.

"Yup, I'm under strict instructions from the big guy that I'm not to take my eyes off of you while you practice." He said a small smug grin evident on his lips.

"Really that's a shock."

"Well he seemed worried that if you fell you could seriously hurt yourself." He said.

"Wow I'm seriously offended." She responded.

"Why that he's looking out for your well being?"

"No, that he has no faith in my skills what so ever and he thinks I need a baby sitter."

"Leave it to a woman to take a kind gesture and twist it till it's barely recognizable." He said his voice a little angry and bitter.

"Wow jaded much?" She said her words dripping with sarcasm. Alcide gave her a look and seemed to recover, realizing his slip.

"Sorry that animosity wasn't actually aimed at you, you just happened to be in the way of the target." He offered up a little sheepishly. She could tell he had a story, and she wanted to question him. Find out who the animosity was aimed at, but when a person asks questions they're usually asked questions in return, and there was already one too many people that knew her sob story… she really didn't need another one.

"No big." She said trying to give her best reassuring smile. "So where's this stereo system?"

"Oh." He said seeming to recover quickly when he realized she wasn't angry with him. "It's right over here." He walked to the end of the bar and she followed on her side and took the wire that would plug perfectly into her Ipod. She heard him flipping a switch and with one push of a button the song she'd chosen began playing over the speakers in the entire bar. She set the song to play on repeat and then showed Alcide how to turn the song back to the beginning before she moved over to the pole. She opted for the one directly in front of Eric's throne of sorts, and far enough into the crowd that she would seem attainable but would be close enough to Eric that she would be safe if anyone got too hands on.

She then started stretching making sure each muscle was nice and loose before she had Alcide play the music. She stood on the platform for a while listening to the song over and over again. The routine came slowly at first, figuring out the tricks she would put in and where, then working on her transitions, but as she connected more and more with the music the easier it became. There was one minor issue, she'd gone for a very complicated and rather dangerous trick. She started in a hold were she was using her left upper arm and right thigh to grip the pole and she then let both go so that she literally fell. The point was to catch herself with her left hand and move into another grip at the very last second which would do a rather nice turn and leave her with her feet on the floor, except Alcide thought she was really falling and caught her. As soon as he realized she hadn't been in any real danger he apologize and looked little pale, she then realized his scent would be all over her and Eric would never believe it was an accident so she decided to put her pride on the back burner and tell Eric she had slipped and Alcide had saved her from harm.

With that small snafu out of the way she went on working out the kinks and actually had a finished and somewhat polished routine done by one o clock. It was two hours later than she would have liked but satisfied with herself she started cleaning up. Alcide then said his goodbye and his replacement Ginger, then showed. Taryn introduced herself but Ginger seemed none to pleased at her presence, even though she greeted her, the reception Taryn got was anything but warm. Shrugging it off to a female version of a pissing contest she dragged herself to a shower and was asleep in her bed seconds after her head hit the pillow.

Hours later she was done up in clothes and make up. She'd moussed, waxed, and hair sprayed her hair so it was a wonderful wild mass of waves, the sexy bed-head look that seems easy but takes about your own body weight in hair product to actually pull off. Her outfit was a simple vinyl bra and a pair of vinyl pants that laced up on the sides so that it looked like she was wearing nothing underneath them, but had a small pair of bikini underwear hidden among the laces. A set of black breakneck heels and a very clever chocker rounded off her outfit to make it look like she was hiding a bite mark. The make up was simple, she went heavy on the eyeliner but very light and iridescent on the eye shadow to make her eyes really stand out, and a nice glossy lip stain that gave a slightly red, just been kissed look to her lips.

She was sitting in her room, taking very steady calming breaths but the butterflies were doing summersaults in her stomach. She was waiting for the minutes to tick away. When the sun had set Eric came to see her and give her the low down and the normal routine. At ten the doors opened and one hour later the dancers came out and were on till three which was one hour before closing. The dancers worked in shifts, switching locations clockwise, forty five minutes in each location with a fifteen minute break after each shift.

He then went over the rules with her. All dancers were allowed to take and keep any tips they received. Accepting drinks from clients was applauded but they could only be accepted on their fifteen minute break and they could only consume whatever would keep them mostly sober. A sip or two for each accepted offer was what he recommended. It was polite and it was profitable to the bar and it kept the dancer from becoming drunk. They also suggested that the dancers stick to one kind of liquor a night. Feeding and Sex of any kind was strictly forbidden, and she couldn't help but give him a big eye roll at that obvious one, but then she had to figure if it was a rule, someone had obviously tried it. She was to be kind to the clients and appear available, but never actually be available, however if she felt uncomfortable in anyway she had every right to signal Pam, Alcide or himself and the offender would be kicked out without question. Once he was finished he left her to get ready.

She checked the clock on her phone, she still had a good forty five minutes till it was time to go out. She spat out a curse and stood, it would probably be much easier to kill time by talking to Eric, plus she did kind of want to see his reaction to her outfit. So she walked out of the room and across the hall and with a big sigh she opened the door.

Never before in her life had she ever regretted opening a door, but now she did. The sight before her had all the air rushing out of her lungs and made her heart drop to the pit of her stomach and smashed all those fluttering butterflies to hell. Eric Northman… was an asshole.


	15. Who is the betrayer

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**A/N: My triumphant return…. Well sort of. I won't be starting another chapter until after the holidays, and again I have to say I'm very very sorry for the extremely long delay. I've been doing 50+ hours at work without a lunch cause we're so busy and by the time I get home all I wanna do is eat, shower and sleep. Luckily there's only about two weeks till the Christmas season is over. I'll probably need an extra week or two to recover but as soon as I'm relaxed my first priority will be to continue the story. I've been thinking and mentally planning the next chapter so once I start writing it shouldn't take me long I promise. **

**Now I do have a little treat for you all. I scoured you tube and found a performance by Jenyne butterfly that I thought looked amazing and just what Taryn would look like performing so I actually put that performance to the music of my choice and viola… you now have a visual aid. It's pretty much how I see Taryn's first performance going. I'm not going to do this with every performance, just the important ones. But hope you enjoy. - ****.com/albums/v445/blood_on_my_skin/?action=view¤t=4**** -**

**Now for the thank you' s. Jomarie laycock (2x's) , kpkisses, nymapa, vivlig, len, SharkGurl, sluggysmom (2x's), mich430 (2x's) , missey801, CheeseyFryJack, powergirl24, Kakashi-luver, bifidity, Pricess-Maiden, Anastacia Lynn, Arlo Northman, ajp81, Egyptian Kiss, deancatcher, lovermine220, treewitch703, UntitledEnder, bekkiboo46, and of course to every one of my readers… Thank you SOOOOOOO very much for sticking with me. **

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Eric lifted his head from Ginger's femoral artery and had a moment to marvel over Taryn's sultry attire before his eyes caught a glimpse of her face. He watched pain anger and disgust register on it before she slammed the door. Eric shifted back and was going to ask Ginger to excuse him but the smug look of satisfaction made him pause. Apparently there were others with hidden motives. When he'd ask Ginger if she'd help him out by letting him feed he'd thought it odd when she requested that he feed from the femoral artery, but he didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. Now he realized that she was using him as much as he'd been using her. He couldn't blame her ingenuity but she'd intended to hurt Taryn and that surprisingly made his blood being to boil.

However he could deal with Ginger at a later date. Taryn was the far more important and pressing matter. He left the room with out so much as an explanation and was surprised to find Taryn in the kitchen, punching away at the buttons on the microwave while cursing.

"Sorry you walked in on that." He said and she jumped, a little startled by his sudden appearance and as soon as her eyes landed on him they shifted to his mouth then away. A swipe of his hand showed he'd had some blood on his chin and mouth.

"Whatever." She said opening and closing the microwave, she proceeded to punch at the buttons.

"I was only feeding Taryn." He offered.

"I don't care." She said acerbically and she cursed at the microwave and opened and closed it again.

"Really?"

"Really… you can do what ever you want Eric, you don't owe me shit. It's not like there's anything going on between us. So you have fun. Do what you do." She began punching at the buttons again.

"Then why are you mad?"

"I'm not mad."

"So beating up a microwave is just part of your daily routine then"

"No… I'm frustrated. I need some tea to calm my nerves and the damn thing won't work." She said literally smacking it. He moved and put his hand over hers only to have her pull it away like he were poison. Ignoring the fact that her chide had stung him, he set the microwave for a minute and pressed start, and despite Taryn's earlier abuse the thing kicked on with a decisive hum, and Taryn gave a frustrated sigh as she backed up against the opposite counter and crossed her arms under her chest.

"So why did you come to see me?" He questioned and watched her eyes flick up and then away quickly as if she had to remind herself she didn't want to look at him.

"Um well I wanted to talk about tonight, I think that it might be more beneficial to us both if maybe I start my first night with a bang, and perform tonight instead of next Friday." She said after a moment, and he knew she was lying. He could feel the unease she got when she lied, and already recognized it for what it was. He only knew her a few days and he was already getting to know her habits and get a better read on her emotions… something he had a feeling he better keep to himself cause he knew she'd hate it. He stared at her but she didn't squirm, didn't look up at him either. He knew that wasn't the reason but she was getting better and better at controlling her emotions, the only thing he could get a real sense of was that she had this grim determination. The microwave stopped with a beep and they both went for it, Taryn backed away as soon as she realized he was moving towards the thing again like she didn't want to risk even grazing his skin with hers. He preceded to take the tea out and dunk the small packet she's already set aside into it for her.

"Do you really think you're ready?" He questioned.

"Yeah. I have a routine all set up and it's pretty polished. I'm not gonna lie, another day or two would definitely be beneficial. But I work well under pressure. I know the routine in and out already. I haven't gotten to practice the whole thing too many times to make sure it's perfectly fluid and smooth but I got it down that's for sure. "

"So that's what you came to talk to me about?" He questioned turning to look at her and holding the cup out to her. She was careful not to let her fingers brush his as she took it from him and her eyes locked with his… another indications she was about to lie.

"Yup." she said and then let her eyes skirt away as she took a sip of the hot tea. For some reason her inability to tell him the truth after all they discovered the night before really pissed him off.

"Fine then. You go on at midnight." He said and he could feel the sudden wave of panic but it was quickly washed away and was replaced by that same determination she had before.

"Great." She said sipping the tea again. She didn't add anything on and it was obvious the conversation was over but Eric didn't budge. He simply watched and waited for something, anything that would give him hope that the spark they'd had the other night hadn't been completely snuffed out, and for reasons he couldn't even fathom.

**…**

God this was awful, she wanted him gone she wanted him to walk away. But mostly she wanted him to cross the small bit of space between them, pick her up and show her exactly how much Ginger didn't mean to him. That he really only had been feeding, although feeding from the femoral artery… that was just way to intimate to not be more than just a meal. She looked to Eric only to find him staring at her and she looked away, unable to say another word to him. God it sucked to be so close to someone and feel so far away from them. She finished her tea and turned, washing the cup in the sink before hanging it in the drying rack. She then turned back around.

"I better go change into a better performance outfit then." She offered up, unable to take the awkward silence.

"Would you like some help picking it out?" He offered in his playful lascivious tone that she knew all to well and she looked to him, a small smile curling her lips before she could stop it. But as quick as it appeared she made it disappear.

"Thank you but, I'm sure I can manage on my own." She said as she walked out of the kitchen. Why on earth could she never stay mad at that man… vampire… whatever. It seemed like she was hard wired to let him get away with every little thing, or maybe her heart knew deep down he wasn't the villain he made himself out to be and her head was just making a mess of what could end up being a beautiful thing. As that little nugget passed through her cerebral cortex, and fear licked up her spine at it's meaning, Ginger emerged from the office and gave her a smug grin. Taryn had to resist the urge to tear ass after her and pluck out her eyes, and snatch every last bit of bottled blonde locks from her head. She was still picturing horrible deeds as Ginger disappeared behind the door that led out to the club. She heard another door open and shut behind her and didn't need to turn around to know it was Eric. No doubt he'd felt her sudden rage and was wondering what caused it. She quickly ducked into her room and closed the door before he could question her and began tackling the daunting task of picking out yet another outfit.

An hour an hour later she was finished changing, fifteen minutes after that she was pretty sure she was going to violently loose her lunch. Why the hell had she not just fessed up that she'd simply been missing Eric and wanted to see his face so she could calm down before her shift. Instead she made up the first thing that came to her head and now look at the pickle she was in. She squatted near the bed, one arm wrapped around her somersaulting stomach the other rested on the edge of the bed with her head buried in the crook of her elbow. There was a knock on the door followed by the creak of it opening, and she knew that it wasn't Eric, he tended to wait to be invited in before he entered. She had a feeling it had more to do with it being a habit rather than any kind of politeness.

"Are you alright?" She heard the deep gruff voice ask, and she lifted her head to look into the dark chocolate eyes of Alcide.

"Yeah… just a terrible case of the nerves."

"You sure you're ready to perform tonight, you only just came up with the routine today." He queried.

"How do you know I'm performing." She asked

"Eric told me, said I'm to be your bodyguard, make sure no one touches you and what not."

"Oh… well no I don't think I'm ready." She said.

"Then why are you?" Alcide asked

"I don't know… it was a stupid mistake."

"Why don't you go tell Eric that and ask him to do it another day." He said and she gave him a acerbic glare.

"If you made a mistake… would you be able to swallow your pride and go and tell Eric Northman about it? She asked coolly.

"Point taken."

"So I'm stuck."

"Well for whatever it's worth, I think you'll be great." He said with what she was starting to think of as his "good ole boy" smile.

"Thanks that does mean a lot." She said with a sigh before standing. "How much longer do I have before I go to the gallows?"

"Five minutes." He said and she felt her stomach to a flip. "Are you alright, cause you just turned green?"

"I think I'm gonna vomit."

"Seriously?" He questioned

"I'm not sure." She gave a few more deep breaths before moving the few steps to Alcide. He extended his arm and she wrapped hers in it, giving a few more deep breaths. He then opened the door and led them to the hallway, stopping just at the door that would lead into the club. She could hear the muffled pounding of music and had let go of Alcide's arm to lean against the wall. She slid against it to sit on the floor and hung her head between her knees. Taking some more deep even breaths.

"I'm gonna tell Eric you're not up to this." Alcide said.

"Don't you dare." She said her head lifting to peg him with a stern glare.

"Then you better stand up and show me you can do this." Alcide said his face drawn in a harsh line, but she could see the concern in his chocolate eyes and knew he was only trying to give her some strength. She nodded her head and put her hand out to him, he grasped it in his big palm and pulled her to her feet, just as the music stopped and a voice began speaking to the crowd. It was the DJ, announcing her performance. She had another twill of butterflies but she squashed them down and used the only motivation she had for her… proving to Eric that she was in control.

That's what this all was. If he was going to do whatever he damned well pleased like feed from the femoral artery of a bottle blonde bitch only hours after kissing her with what she thought was actual passion and care, well then she was going to do what ever she damned well pleased, and what better way to get her point across than to exact her control over something she had a feeling meant quite a deal to Eric… his business. She would say when and where she performed…. Not him.

As her name was announced Alcide opened the door and she could feel every eye on her. She was led to the platform she'd been practicing on that morning. The one directly across from Eric's throne, and Alcide lifted her from the floor to the platform. Her hand gripped the pole, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest, no doubt every vampire in here could hear it too, but she couldn't' worry about trivial things like that. All she needed to do was connect with the music and everything else would follow. She closed her eyes and let the breath she was holding escape her lips. The music began and she let her body follow the rhythm, taking her head out of the equation and letting her heart drive her like she always did. Her body knew what it was supposed to do and it wouldn't fail her… she could do this… all she had to do was shut off her mind and feel.

**…**

Eric had to hand it to her… she sure knew how to dress. She'd chosen a simple one piece, somewhat like a bathing suit but the sides from just under her breasts to right above her hips was cut off, leaving only a small strip in the center connecting the top and the bottom in the front and the back. It showed skin but still covered enough that it left everyone wondering what was being hidden, which was perfect. He'd essentially paid her to be a tease and the outfit had only helped. The color was a green so deep in color it almost appeared black but when the light hit it just right, it would shimmer and give off the true color, which went amazing with her coloring.

As she was lifted to the stage he could feel her nerves, he'd been half tempted to call off the performance based on what he'd been feeling from her for the past hour, but if she wasn't going to open up and be truthful with him, he wasn't about to save her from herself. He watched as Pam slipped into the back to do what he'd asked her to and his eyes swung back to Taryn's as she closed her eyes.

When he'd watched the video surveillance from the day he'd purposely averted his attention from it as she'd practiced the full routine so he could be surprised when she finally performed before him. He'd been looking forward to seeing it for the first time fresh and hopefully alone with her as she submitted it for his approval the day before like they'd both agreed was the protocol. But now here we was, filled with as much anticipation as everyone else in the room was. He watched as the breath left her lungs and the music kicked on. She started with a twirl, her hand moving to her hair as she gave a light swivel of her hips. And soon after she began ascending the pole.

Her movement was slow and graceful and surprisingly seemed to mirror the mood of the song she'd chosen, as if, she in fact was, a heavy heart. When she reached the top of the pole and did her first trick holding on to the pole with nothing but her knees, hanging sideways off the pole, he was ensnared and knew instinctively that everyone in the room was just as hooked. They wouldn't be able to tear their eyes away if the room was on fire. Her audition had been nothing compared to what he saw now. The amazing prowess of her body and sensuality and evocation of her movements was a heady concoction that had wonder, shock, lust and envy filtering through the air.

She moved as if she truly felt the music, as if the words were her own and the melody was the beat of her heart, and as he finally listened to the words of the song a shocking realization dawned upon him. Taryn used dance and song to show her soul, she bared it all for everyone to see in the only way she felt safe doing so, and no one was able to resist something so powerful and raw as the very essence of her being laid before them on the stage.

_I was a heavy heart to carry_

_My beloved was weighed down_

_My arms around his neck_

_My fingers laced a crown_

_I was a heavy heart to carry_

_My feet dragged across the ground_

_And he took me to the river_

_Where he slowly let me drown_

_My love has concrete feet, _

_my love's an iron ball_

_Wrapped around your ankles, _

_over the waterfall_

_I'm so heavy. Heavy. _

_Heavy in your arms_

_I'm so heavy. Heavy. _

_Heavy in your arms_

_And is it worth the wait,_

_All this killing time?_

_Are you strong enough to stand,_

_Protecting both your heart and mine?_

_Who is the betrayer_

_Who's the killer in the crowd?_

_The one who creeps in corridors_

_And doesn't make a sound_

_My love has concrete feet, _

_my love is an iron ball_

_Wrapped around your ankles, _

_over the waterfall_

_My love has concrete feet, _

_my love is an iron ball_

_Wrapped around your ankles, _

_over the waterfall_

_I'm so heavy. Heavy. _

_Heavy in your arms_

_I'm so heavy. Heavy. _

_So heavy in your arms_

_This will be my last confession_

_"I love you" never felt like any blessing_

_Whisper it like it's a secret_

_Uttered to condemn the one who hears it_

_With a heavy heart_

_Heavy. Heavy. Heavy. _

_I'm so heavy in your arms_

_(I'm so heavy) Heavy, heavy. _

_I'm so heavy in your arms_

_(I'm so heavy) Heavy, heavy. _

_I'm so heavy in your arms_

_(I'm so heavy) Heavy, heavy. _

_I'm so heavy in your arms_

_I was a heavy heart to carry_

_My beloved was weighed down_

_My arms around his neck_

_My fingers laced a crown_

_I was a heavy heart to carry_

_But he never let me down_

_When he held me in his arms_

_My feet never touched the ground_

_I'm so heavy_

_Heavy in your arms_

_Heavy. _

_I'm so heavy in your arms_

When she finished, she finished with a bang, a trick where she almost flipped down the pole, her feet meeting the floor at the end. As the song faded, she remained in her final pose, one leg wrapped around the pole, her head reclined backwards and back arched so that her hair nearly skimmed the floor. The silence was palpable, but there was a tension in the air, as if everyone were expecting lighting to strike.

The silence didn't last as the entire room erupted in to loud applause and cheers, some whistles also joining in the chorus. He watched then as she breathed once more, and he wondered if she'd held her breath the entire time. She lifted her head then and gave a polite nod to the crowd, a very shy smile curling her lips as she gave a slight curtsey. Eric then watched as Alcide pushed his way to the platform to help her down, taking her small hand in his big paw. Eric saw red, even though he'd been the one to order Alcide to escort her off the stage and back to the offices and her room, it was good he'd thought to do that cause there were plenty of people trying to talk to her and beginning to crowd her, but Eric hated that the "dog" had been able to touch her. Pam emerged from the back once more and came up to him but he was to busy watching Taryn's crimson hair disappear among the crowd and reappear finally disappearing behind the door to the back of the club, to notice.

**…**

As soon as she was safe behind the door of the club she erupted into am excited peal and she crushed Alcide with a hug which he returned with as much enthusiasm, nearly crushing her ribs in the process, but she didn't care. He let her go and let his big hand ruffle her hair which she instinctively began fixing.

"You did great." He said and she gave him a huge grin in return.

"Thank you, oh man that felt great… did you hear them when I was done?" She asked excitedly.

"Yeah, you were definitely a hit, that's for sure." He said as she started down the hall to her door.

"I'm gonna need a drink after that, but I don't think it's safe to go out yet." She said.

"Yeah I'd chill for an hour or two, take a shower or something, then head on out, the crowd should thin down by then." He said.

"Got ya." She said, the idea of a shower sounded lovely. One dance hadn't been much to produce a sweat but it would do wonders for all the tension in her muscles that was for sure. She opened her door and completely froze when her eyes took in the sight.

She started her night never thinking, she'd ever regret opening a door… now she'd had that same feeling twice in one evening, lightning did strike twice, and each strike was worst than the last. Fear cemented her to the floor and heart didn't race in her chest, it damn near convulsed. The room was drowning in vases and vases full of flowers… black calla lilies to be exact. Her whole body began trembling and the blood in her body seemed non existent. She could feel a chill pouring off of her and saw where her hand gripped the door knob, the flesh was ghostly white.

'Taryn are you ok?" She heard Alcide ask, but his voice was off the distance. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the room, and even as the music from the club poured into the hall and disappeared once more, and Eric began talking to her, she couldn't focus. The world was tunneling on her and only one thing was looping in her brain on repeat…. He'd finally found her. It played over and over like a broken record, and only when Eric's hand touched her shoulder, his flesh hot against her now icy skin, did she snap back some.

"I.. I .. I have to go." She stammered out. "I… I have to get out of here."

"What do you mean?" Alcide questioned and only when she looked up did she realize that Pam was in the hall too.

"I … I got to go… I have to leave… I … I got to go." She repeated but her legs wouldn't move and as she focused on them they started inching back but Eric was there stopping her with two hands on her shoulders and everything broke. Panic filled her and she chocked on a scream, flinging herself away, but Eric held her tight.

"Taryn." He called loudly but she couldn't hear over the voice in her head screaming at her to run.

"He's … he's found me, I have to go, I'm not safe, please let me go, we're not safe, we have to leave, he found me." She repeated, the words now flowing out of her mouth, tears began streaming down her cheeks as she tugged harshly at the grip Eric had on her shoulders but his hold didn't relent. She began fighting at him, pulling away more violently, nails clawing his arms as she tried to run, but he wouldn't' let her go. "Please!" She finally screamed but it was like she wasn't the one saying it, she was off the corner watching herself as she yanked herself so violently out of Eric's arms he had to let her go or risk letting her pull her own arms out of her sockets. She fell to the floor and began scrambling but Eric gripped her by the waist.

"Who's here… Taryn?" He screamed in her ear and she shook her head and needed to really focus on his lipd to understand what he was saying to her.

"Him… he found me… the flowers, he's found me, please let me go, he'll kill me… he'll kill you too to get me please, please, please."

"The flowers." Eric said confused… "Taryn the flowers are from me." He said and at first she didn't understand, her panic was rooted so deep into her brain she couldn't grasp his words. He gripped her face harshly, forcing her to look at his eyes. "Taryn… the flowers are from me… you're safe." He said again and she shook her head, trying to shake the cloud of panic from her mind so she could let his words sink in. "You're still safe." He said and she could feel her body still a little.

"From you?" She questioned, still obviously confused.

"Yes, the flowers are my gift to you, they're from me, you're safe." He said slowly and suddenly it all clicked into place… she wasn't in danger. She was safe.

She exhaled with a sob, her breath coming in deep ragged bursts, but the shaking wouldn't stop, and the world still seemed to be darkening at the edges, and getting dimmer by the second. She began wilting in Eric's arms, body shaking violently, skin paler than his and cold as death.

The last thing she heard as everything tunneled in on her and went to black was Pam's distant voice.

"Eric, she's still going into shock."


	16. Shaking through my skull

**A/N: Ok trying to keep up a constant writing schedule is hard, especially when your computer dies and you can't get the half written chapter on your computer and have to start all over. Which is my excuse for this taking so long.**

**My new years resolution for this year is to set aside writing time and stick to it. Some time for my fan fic and some time for my original stories, and I was keeping with it, until the aforementioned computer debacle. REALLY took the wind out of my sails.**

**However it was a blessing in disguise cause when I started to rewrite the next chapter… it completely changed and totally ended up in a better place I think. Hope you all like it.**

**Also I wanted to point out that, at the end of every chapter there is now lyrics from a song. Said songs contain the title of that chapter. I know someone noticed my Song Lyric/ Chapter title so I figured I might as well put all the lyrics down. These songs are kind of like my own personal soundtrack for the story. When I write I like to have something in the background, sometimes the chapters inspire the songs, sometimes it's the other way around. Anyway hope you enjoy.**

**And of course for my thank you's! SharkGurl (LOL), ChristabelLaMotte, Sluggysmom, AlexJade, black'n'burgundy, butterflysmile, Anastacia Lynn, Pricess-Maiden, , Serenity Lei (4x's), (would love see what grafics you would come up with), Yirfrodit, Melisa, Len. Carolina, SweetieCherrie, and of course all my readers.**

* * *

In the hazy daze just before waking, Taryn felt the sensation of a warm arm tucking her tighter into an even warmer body. It was that very sensation that jump started Taryn's pounding brain into consciousness. A steely tanned chest was the first vision she had when her eyes opened with a start, and they lifted hesitantly to meet Alcide's chocolate gaze. She couldn't help but flinch away, her hand pressing into his chest to assist in getting her body out of his hold. She felt unusually sluggish and achy as if she couldn't push her way out of a paper bag, but luckily for her his arms slipped away immediately.

"What's…" she started but surprisingly her throat felt like she'd been gargling glass. She found she had to clear her throat a few times but even so she only sounded marginally better. "What's going on?"

"You don't remember anything?" Alcide questioned warily and Taryn felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. God had she gotten hammered and slept with Alcide the night before. She remembered performing and Alcide giving her the suggestion of taking a shower before getting a drink, her hand on the door and that's when everything went black. She mentally checked herself. Head splitting like a gourd, possible hang over. Mouth dry and raspy, possibly from excessive alcohol and over use, be it having to scream over the music in the club or screaming for other reason, she was hoping the former. Her body well she couldn't localize an ache to just one place, like a telltale soreness between her thighs, she hurt everywhere. Which now that she thought about it wasn't a good endorsement for having not slept with Alcide. Alcide was a large, hot blooded, werewolf, surely sex with him was supremely vigorous, which could explain the all over ache.

"Can't say that I do." She rasped out. "Why what happened?"

"You fainted." She heard Eric's cool voice call out from behind her and she stiffened. Not exactly the voice she wanted to hear while in bed with a half naked Alcide. God she hoped he was half naked, she couldn't see under the covers, and she didn't want to find out, but Alcide didn't appear worried. What had Eric said… she fainted.

"I what?"

"Fainted, after you opened the door and saw the lilies." Eric reminded and it all came crashing back. The door swinging open, the flowers drowning the room. The breath caught in her throat and her body trembled like a leaf in a hurricane.

"Jesus." Alcide exclaimed as his hands crushed her to him once more. She heard rather than saw Eric move and felt his big hands take her face between his palms and forced her to look at him. As her eyes met his she stilled only slightly. He screamed for Pam and something else but she couldn't figure out, things were starting to tunnel in on her and the world was getting darker at the edges again.

"Taryn don't leave us please, you're safe remember, the flowers were from me." Eric exclaimed.

"W… wha… what?" She stammered her body feeling ice cold once more.

"The flowers were from me Taryn. Say it." He said and she could see panic in his crystal blue eyes, and she focused on those eyes, helping herself get a grip on reality, keeping her in the here and now, not letting her fade back into the darkness. Those pale icy blue eyes, were her lifeline and she clung to them with tooth and nail. "Taryn repeat what I'm saying. You're safe and the flowers were from me."

"I'm safe…. The flowers were from me." She repeated the words but their meaning didn't sink in.

"Not me Taryn, you. The flowers were from you."

"Flowers from you." She repeated.

"Yes, now say it again." He ordered and somewhere in the distance something bristled at being commanded by him but she didn't understand why.

"I'm safe the flower were from you." She stammered.

"Yes, keep repeating, it." He ordered and she did, after the fourth or fifth chant the words had begun to lull her into a calmer state, like a mantra a phobic chants to keep them calm and around repeat number twenty the meaning clicked, and her eyes snapped to Eric's with recognition. She watched the relief pour over him as his lips actually curved into smile. "There you are."

She lifted aching arms to press her hands to his as they held her face, noting that her skin was actually colder than his. "Bring me the tea Pam." He said not removing his gaze from hers. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Pam had stepped forward. "Help her sit up Alcide." He said and she felt Alcide shift besides her and then pull her gentling into a seating position between his knees. Eric sat on the edge of the bed beside them, only one hand left her face to take the cup from Pam so she dropped both her hands to her lap. "You must drink this Taryn." He ordered but this time it was far more polite than his previous demands. He held the cup to her lips and her hands lifted to wrap around his one and the glass. His one hand on her face angled her chin and tilted the glass to pour the liquid between her slightly parted lips. The taste was so rancid and bitter she couldn't stop her reaction as she pulled away with a grimace. "I'm sure it tastes awful, but you must finish it." He said again in a tender demand, she found herself following his orders. The warmth and ease that curled in her stomach as soon as the disgusting liquid reached it, also helped.

She chocked down the tea, actually having to hold her own nose closed to do so, but when she'd taken the last drop he handed the cup to Pam, who gave a look to Taryn before leaving. Eric let his hands drop away from her face and she dropped her hands to her lap once more. Most of the unanswered questions were answered now. She'd fainted and they'd brought her to what she gathered was Eric's room if the windowless stone walled room with the ornate dark cherry wood furniture, and large four-poster bed with black curtains, black satin sheets and what looked like multiple fur skins for blankets were anything to go by. Alcide's presence was apparently for her welfare, the only unanswered question was how long she'd been out and what happened while she'd been unconscious. She didn't have time to ask, because Alcide moved to wrap his arms around her shoulders and pull her back into his chest. As soon as her frozen skin met his searing flesh, her brain remembered she was freezing and she began shaking uncontrollably again. He turned her to the side and wrapped his arms around her and crushed her to his chest but her body couldn't help but try and put distance between them. "Please don't fight it Taryn you have to stay warm." Eric said and she tried to relax into Alcide's hold but couldn't.

"She's colder now, I don't know if just my body temperature is going to be enough." Alcide said.

"There's no one else here with a body temperature to help us… unless." Eric started.

"Unless what."

"Unless I feed from someone, but there's no one here… aside from you and Taryn and taking from her is pretty much defeating the purpose."

"Fine." He said begrudgingly.

"A...Al.. Alci.. Alcide…" She tried to stammer out that he didn't have to because she didn't need it, but her teeth were chattering so bad she was worried she'd chip her teeth. If she continued to speak she might bite a chunk of her tongue off.

"The doctor lady said it was imperative we keep you're body temperature up around normal or you could have some serious problems, if this is what I have to do, then I'm prepared to accept that." He said and Taryn's eyes snapped to look at Eric wincing in pain as she moved so quickly.

"D….D… D… Doctor." She finally got out, and Eric actually rolled his eyes and gave Alcide an annoyed look. Had Eric betrayed her and taken advantage while she was passed out in order to find out her secret.

"Yes Taryn, you passed out and turned blue, we were worried so we called for a Special Doctor."

"Sp… Spec…" She began and Eric interrupted her.

"Please stop talking before you hurt yourself. A special doctor, one that does not need to do any tests to find out what's wrong." He offered up and she gave a look to Alcide who nodded to tell her Eric was telling the truth. As another round of violet tremors took hold of her Alcide thrust his wrist out towards Eric. She couldn't help but watch as Eric took hold of his wrist and brought his lips to Alcide's skin. As his fangs bared with an audible click she felt Alcide flinch against her. She went to say no and stop Eric but her mouth literally didn't want to work and the simple fact that she was having trouble functioning correctly frightened her into silence.

She watched as Eric's mouth descended upon Alcide's flesh, and surprisingly Alcide didn't jump when Eric's fangs slid through his skin. The silence was long and the tension thick, but eventually Eric lifted his mouth from Alcide's wrist, his lips stained red. He lifted his finger to his fang and flicked it against it, opening a slice upon the pad. "Don't want to keep the mark do you?" He questioned when Alcide gave him a wary glare. When Alcide gave a tense nod, Eric swiped his blood across the fang mark in Alcide's wrist, and within seconds it was gone. He wiped his mouth cleaning the blood away before he shifted away, he stood up and removed his shirt, showing her for the first time his bare chest, and if she didn't feel like she'd been dumped into the arctic waters, she probably would have given his physique the proper admiration it required.

He slipped under the covers with them both and slid up behind Taryn, his chest pressing against her back, it was only then that she realized she'd been changed into a sports bra and a pair of boy shorts. She made a mental note to ask later how that had happened, when she wasn't in fear of getting hypothermia.

"Taryn face me." Eric said softly and she obeyed, wincing with the soreness in her body but with both Alcide and Eric's help she got herself turned about. As Eric's arms wrapped gingerly around her and pulled her into his chest she stiffened only because his now hot flesh hitting her icy cold skin was a shock, but as soon as she relaxed she understood now why Eric joining them was necessary. Both she and Alcide had too many hang ups about getting as close as was required, both of their self consciousness would keep a distance between them, but with Eric she nearly melted into him. Her face pressed gently into the hollow of his chest, her hands lightly gripping his waist, his about her shoulders, draping over her arms, his legs beginning to tangle with hers, and when Alcide came up behind her, his chest pressing to her back, she was surrounded in warmth.

It was exceedingly awkward. To be in bed with two men, one she had a thing for and the other that was starting to feel like a brother, but two men who obviously didn't have the hugest liking for each other, but for her benefit they put their differences aside. Still really awkward, she would have argued that one was enough, except the warmth of both of them really did wonders to the icy grip that seemed to have its hold on her. With just Alcide there had been a slight warmth, like she'd put her hands over a small lantern, but with the two she felt like she'd stepped into a sauna. It wasn't long till she'd stopped shivering so violently and her teeth had stopped chattering as well. She felt fingers slide back from her forehead gently, and wondered who's they were, but didn't care enough to look up, now that the shaking had stopped the soreness started to really set in. So checking to find out who was stroking her hair sounded like more work that it was worth. She gathered it was Eric and not Alcide, since she figured Eric would snap Alcide's fingers off before he allowed him to caress her in such a manner.

Taryn's eyes began to get heavy, the warmth and safety of the two men surrounding her lulling her into a sleep. She started to fight it, her head snapping up with a slight twinge of pain every time her eyes succeeded in closing longer than they should, and she felt a pair of warm lips press to her forehead and the deep rumble of Eric's chest next to her cheek as he began speaking to her.

"Don't fight sleep Taryn, it's the best thing for you right now." He said and sure enough nearly minutes after he'd uttered those words everything went black again.

The next few hours… or was it days, were hazy. She'd slowly break the surface of consciousness, only to still be in Eric's arms, Alcide had been dismissed at some point in her sleeping apparently, cause he was no where to be found. As soon as she'd wake Eric would help her to the bathroom so she could do her business and clean up as best as possible on her own, running a small warm washcloth over herself in lieu of a shower, as well as brush her teeth. Then he'd help her out of the bathroom and bring her to the bed where there were new clothes for her to change into. As Eric helped her change, she couldn't help but notice he had impeccable bedside manners. He'd ease her out of her clothes in a way that would least expose her. Pulling whatever manner of top she had on, off from the back so she could hold it to front, while he pulled the new shirt over her head. Then she'd drop the old shirt and he'd take it away and help get her arms through the holes. Then he'd help her stand and ease off whatever manner of bottom she had on. The shirts were always long enough to cover anything, and he kept his head angled to the side as he slid the old bottoms off and the new bottoms on. He then gave her another mug of that rancid tea that she would choke down. Then he'd ease her back into the bed and join her. She kept meaning to ask how he managed to keep warm, and why she had to drink the nasty tea, but shortly after nestling up in Eric's arms she'd fall right back into sleep and wondered just before passing out again if that was what the tea was for.

This routine continued for a while, with only slight variations. Some times he'd wake her only to drink more tea and then let her pass out once more, and one time she opened her eyes to look into a bespectacled and wrinkly face of a rather stern woman with a hospital mask. She chalked it up to a hallucination brought on by a pain filled sleep. Whatever the variation, the one constant was Eric by her side.

* * *

_**Chapter Title/Song Lyrics**_

_**"Blinding" by Florence and the Machine**_

_Seems that I have been held in some dreaming state_

_A tourist in the waking world, never quite awake_

_No kiss, no gentle word could wake me from this slumber_

_Until I realized that it was you who held me under_

_Felt it in my fist, in my feet, in the hollows of my eyelids_

_**Shaking through my skull**, through my spine and down through my ribs_

_No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone_

_No more calling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong one_

_And I could hear the thunder and see the lightning crack_

_All around the world was waking, I never could go back_

_'Cause all the walls of dreaming, they were torn wide open_

_And finally it seemed that the spell was broken_

_And all my bones began to shake, my eyes flew open_

_And all my bones began to shake, my eyes flew open_

_No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone_

_No more calling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong one_

_Snow White's stitching like a circuitboard_

_It's like I'm slipping through the hidden door_

_Snow White's stitching like a circuitboard_

_No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone_

_No more calling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong one_

_Snow White's stitching like a circuitboard_

_It's like I'm slipping through the hidden door_

_Snow White's stitching like a circuitboard_

_It's like I'm slipping through the hidden door_


	17. Letter to my readers

*slowly emerges keeping a good cover on her head to avoid any flying debris from angry readers*

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

A Hundred I'm sorries and I'll give you all a million more if you ask I promise.

I know I dropped off the face of the earth, and I blame losing a big chunk of a good chapter and loss of inspiration on it. As I was trying to re-write the lost chapter I just kept getting further and further out of touch with Eric and as you all know I'm trying to stay as strictly to canon as I can with Eric.

Of course since this plot is completely different there will be some straying but I really try very hard to make it seem like if in this situation and these relationship developments this is where Eric could believably end up, and I just knew I wasn't doing my best so. I put things on hold and waited for inspiration.

Which came in the form of True Blood reruns of season three. :D. I hit the wellspring of inspiration. I not only have written the next chapter, but I have the complete chapter outline done too. So now I know everything I want to have happen in the story and when I want it to happen all the way down to the very end. So I can tell you this will have thirty two chapters (subject to change, if I feel a chapter is too long and I can coherently split it in half I'll do so but there is a definite minimum of 32) AND I already have ideas for a follow up story :D.

I also wanted to let you all know that I've decided I will coincide the re-start of Eyes On Fire (by uploading chapter 17) with the premier of Season Four of True Blood on June 26th (six days after my birthday)

Now I want to take this time to thank you all soooooooo very much for sticking with me. It both pained and delighted me when I would see that months after I'd stopped writing I would still get story alters, favorites and reviews. I was soo glad that people still liked my story even though it was unfinished, but it killed me to know that I was still no where near inspired enough to write again and make all you guys happy. Even so I do want to thank you all for the continued support it did help keep the story in my mind.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,thank you,thank you,thank you!

A hundred thank yous and you deserve a million more but I don't have the space for it but please know I am thanking you all from the bottom of my heart.

One last order of business before I wrap this up.

I have decided to come up with a little competition for my readers. Now I'm not going to tell you exactly when, but what Taryn is will obviously be revealed. But until then I was thinking to make it a game of guessing what she is.

Send me a review with what you think she is (and if you so wish... drop me some review love as well :D) and the first one to get it right or closest to it will win something special.

That something special is going be inside information into the second installment of the Eric and Taryn Saga, as well as another special award. And I'm telling you all now... IT'S A HUGE REVELATION. To find out what it is...you'll have to win first. Good Luck!

And again THANK YOU!


	18. Even though it's gonna crumble down

**A/N: Ok I already went over any news I needed to in my 'letter to my readers' so I just wanted to make sure I singled out all those that left me reviews. **

**A big thanks goes out to, Calliope's Inspiration, Pamismymaker, yifrodit (I'm not sure about their healing powers because in the episode where Debbie Pelt received her brand, she couldn't have vamp blood cause it would have healed the brand, so I just thought that the were's could still scar.) SharkGurl (LOL), sluggysmom, RememberingYesterday, Textcrazy, butterflysmile, mixmatched9, bekkiboo46, sidmo, angel19872006, racecz5, ChristabelLaMotte (LOL), Len (LMAO), downbelowgirl, werewolvesblood, kuroune13, odeepblue, GreyGoodCitron, ajp81, Emma, Puddingstone49328, First Lady Lestat (Gotta say Love your name, Lestat was my first obsession with the powerful blone blue eyed vampire), deancatcher, jamile miyagi, HeartsAndHeadOnFire, blueicefireNINJA4, Dark-n-Twisty, shalmarrose, and esther.**

**And of course again I'd like to say thank you to all those that are still with me and reading my story. R&R... remember reviews are love and, also look forward to your entries in the "what is taryn" contest, I will be giving hints and clues along the way to help out. Oh and I think I should maybe get myself a beta... anyone interested?**

* * *

When Taryn's eyes opened once more she could tell it was different than the last twenty or so times. She was still sore but in a quite more manageable way. What she felt though was an absence of arms, and she tried to ignore the twinge of disappointment.

The sound of a door opening had her turning to see Eric walking in, a black long sleeve shirt and black track pants adorning his frame. He also held a crimson mug with the word Fangtasia, scrawled across it. The content of the mug was steaming.

"No more tea." She grumbled, happy that her voice for once didn't sound like gravel. Eric actually smiled as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Shut up and drink." He said and she begrudgingly shifted to sit against the headboard. She took the glass from him and quickly brought it to her mouth, so sure it was that retched tea. Only when it was halfway down her throat did she realize it was a rich hazelnut coffee, and brewed to perfection. She pulled the mug away with a moan.

"God that's heavenly." She said enthusiastically as she leaned her head back. "Can I assume from the beverage that I'm in the clear?"

"Yes, Doctor Ludwig cleared you a few hours ago, said to let you sleep, but once you woke you'd be able to drink and eat what you like."

"What… what was wrong with me?" She questioned, fingers playing with the fur skin.

"Well Dr. Ludwig said you were suffering physiological shock and your body started reacting as if you'd been physically injured." Eric stated softly.

"How is that possible?"

"Well from what the good doctor tells me, it's very rare, but when a mental trauma that's rooted so deeply in the mind is triggered, it tricks the body into thinking it's actually injured and the body is responding accordingly. That's what the tea was for. To counter act the body's reaction, keep you from going septic. It was either the tea or the hospital."

"Yeah suddenly I'm loving the tea." She mused as she shifted her head back once more.

"Kind of what I thought you'd say. Which is why I decided it would be the better option." He responded.

"Why am I so sore though?" She asked.

"Well, the doctor said it had to do with your natural condition…" He started, giving her a glare, and Taryn felt her stomach drop.

"Which is?" She questioned her mouth all of a sudden feeling dry.

"She didn't know. She doesn't know what you are; all she can do is tell the origins of diseases, injuries, conditions… and their treatment. Your body temperature would plummet and we had to go through a lot to get it back up. She said it was unrelated to the shock, and it came from your own natural condition, and the only thing we could do was try and keep you warm. But you were shivering, and by shivering I mean full body spasms, for about 98% of the time that you were out. That kind of thing puts a lot of stress on the muscles. So I would dare say your body should feel like it's been put through the ringer."

"How long has it been since I first went down?" She questioned taking a big sip of the coffee. She watched Eric watch her, wondering why he didn't answer the question right away.

"96 hours." He stated softly only after she'd swallowed and she understood now why he paused, if he'd hadn't she might have showered him with hot coffee.

"What?" She quickly sat up from the headboard, the coffee sloshing against the side of the cup and spilling a little of the hot liquid on her hand. Her whole body seemed to protest the movement by producing a teeth grinding pain, she winced violently and flopped back against the headboard. "Remind me not to do that again anytime soon." She let her eyes shift back to Eric and could see a lingering concern in his eyes, and its presence warmed her. But something was picking at the back of her brain, trying to remind her of something, but in the haze of the ordeal she had no clue what it was now.

Eric reached forward to take the coffee from her but she pulled the mug back, placing another hand over it and practically clutching it to her chest, all the while giving him the best pout she could produce, which much have worked because he simply chuckled softly and shook his head. She took a few more sips of the coffee when she was sure he wouldn't try and take it from her again.

"I can help with the pain you know." He offered, eyes not meeting hers.

"How?" She questioned.

"My blood Taryn... it can heal, sore muscles is nothing, you'll be right as rain in seconds."

"Wait could the past 96, hours have been avoided with your blood?"

"Yes but you weren't in the condition to give permission and after what happened the last time you ended up consuming my blood, I didn't want to chance it. If it looked like you were taking a turn for the worse, I was going to do it with or with out consent, but I gave the tea a shot first, and it worked." His eyes once again wouldn't meet hers.

"Thank you... that was oddly considerate of you."She said softly and then busied herself by finishing the contents of her mug and instantly wished she had another. Eric only carefully took the empty mug from her and set it aside.

"I do try." he said voice just as soft as hers, and as he looked up she could see there was a tightness to his eyes, as if he was waiting for something, something bad. And god those words were so familiar... when had she heard him say them before. She racked her brain, eyes skirting away, trying to remember but her memories were still a bit hazy from the hours of sickness. "Taryn..." he called out warily and she snapped to look at him, realizing she must have taken a longer pause than she intended.

"Sorry I just... I was just thinking." She gave a shake of her head as if to clear it. "Um... I'd like to accept your offer if that's ok." She said softly, hands moving to play with the fur of the blanket in her lap.

"Are you sure?" He questioned and her eyes lifted to his, seeing the slight shock within them... why was it so easy to read him now, what had changed, what made the mask he wore so well, fall this much.

"Yeah, I mean what's the harm. It's not like I don't already have your blood in me. So I'm really only gaining in this instance, right... or does more of your blood come with more strings?"

"Well being able to sense your emotions and being able to find you where ever you are is never going to go away, but more of my blood will make your senses keener and also... increase your libido." He said his tone very calm and careful, and it was good that he was aware that any kind of enthusiasm on his part would make her reconsider his offer. She already had enough issues keeping away from Eric without his blood making it more difficult. She shifted and the sharp ache in her muscles was enough to really cement her choice. With the way she was now she'd need a week or so of recovery before she'd be able to perform again and she needed money. That was for sure, so increased libido or not she needed to be well more. With a sigh she nodded her head.

"I can deal with all that I guess." She said shifting painfully once more so she sat up straighter.

"I guess isn't very reassuring Taryn... either you can or you can't." He stated.

"I can." She answered making sure that her voice was firm even though inside she was beginning to worry. She watched as he nodded and shifted in the bed, bringing his feet up on the bed so he sat against the head board next to her. He brought one hand to the back of her head and brought the wrist of his other hand to his mouth.

She heard the click of his fangs and the tear of his skin as he bit down. Then the dark blood pooled in the wound and it was to her lips before she could register what was happening. His hand on the back of her head guided her closer as her lips sealed around the wound. The second the blood hit her tongue she was on auto pilot, taking it into her mouth and down her throat like it was water and she was stuck in the desert. Her body knew it was good for her and did everything to get as much of it as she could.

A warmth filled her as her eyes fluttered shut and she forced herself not to start making any kind of embarrassing noises. She could feel the blood working in her system already, damn near as soon as it hit her tongue it began healing her and the rush of it was exquisite. She understood now whey so many got hooked on 'V' it was a clean and exhilarating high.

…

He watched her feed from his wrist and couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of possessiveness and tenderness. Feeding a human connected straight to a vampires primal senses, well most vampires. There were those that were more flippant with their choice of feeding. However he was far more selective. He'd spared some to make Pam, heal Lafayette and force a connection with Sookie. All of those had been for his personal gain. Now... he was gaining something but on the heals of such an … oddly emotional few days, seeing Taryn at his wrist made that beast that lurked within him nearly roar in satisfaction, so much so that even when he knew she'd had enough to heal her fully he let her take even more. Stopping only when it bordered on dangerous. Like with everything in life, too much of something was a bad thing... vamp blood included.

He watched her pull away in a daze and rest back against the pillows. He could see the blood working, the way she seemed to squirm in the afterglow, the return of the healthy glow to her skin, the brightness in her eyes. She oozed strength and vitality once more and knowing that it was his blood doing it, made it hard to keep his hands to himself. He wondered how she'd take to his blood, would she become over energetic and begin dancing around like Lafayette. He really couldn't count Sookie's reaction since she'd had so little in her system, and Pam had been practically dead.

He watched with slightly hooded eyes as she began to come around, her eyes fluttering less till they open lazily to look at him. She gave a coy and bashful smile.

"Thank you." She said and he simply nodded.

"How'd you like a bath?" He said hoping to distract her, she was obviously having memory lapses from being ill, and now with the healing from his blood it was only a matter of time before she remembered that they hadn't been on speaking terms before she'd gone down.

He could tell it worked when she looked at him because the longing on her face was actually comical. He chuckled softly. "That's a yes." He responded and she had the grace to look embarrassed. He smoothed her hair back from her face, but resisted the urge to press his lips to her forehead, and then stood up from the bed. "I'll be back in a moment." He said before turning and entering the bathroom attached to his room.

He began filling the bathtub with warm water and went about getting the things she'd require, ready for her. New toothbrush and toothpaste on the sink. Designer body wash, shampoo and conditioner, a bottle of bubble bath, as well as a decent bath sponge and a new razor on the edge of the bathtub, and the biggest softest towel he could find to lay on top of the toilet.

He emerged from the bathroom to see that Taryn had stood from the bed and was checking out the small pile of her clothing that Pam had laid out neatly on a chair for her, and by the look on her face he could tell Pam had been thinking aesthetics rather than comfort when she'd chosen the clothing, and sure enough when Taryn lifted the see-through lace camisole with a furrowed brow, his suspicions were correct.

"You can blame that on Pam." He said and she lifted unamused eyes to his face with a sigh. "The bath will take a minute more, if you'd like to go pick out something else from your room that's fine." He said and he could see Taryn stiffen and the slight fear she felt was amplified even more to him now through their renewed connection. "You're not ready to go in the room yet are you?" He asked as carefully as he could and she shook her head.

"No." she said her voice so soft and fragile he wanted to go to her and take her in his arms, just to make sure she didn't break on him.

"Well you're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like." He offered.

"Thank you." She said with a small barely there smile.

"I could go get you something to wear or you could wear something of mine... they may be big on your but they should do fine." Eric said.

"Umm well if you really wouldn't mind I'd rather wear something of yours. I don't really wear much to sleep myself, and really not anything I'd feel comfortable wearing in front of someone else."

"I don't mind at all." He said moving to his dresser and extracting a set of cream satin pajamas he'd yet to wear. He noticed her snatching a pair of underwear from the pile of her clothes as he went to place the pajamas on top of the towel he set out for her. He shut off the taps and turned just as Taryn was entering. "It's all ready for you. I have everything you should need." He said and watched her look over the bottles on the tub lifting the bottle filled with lime green gel.

"Coconut Lime Bubble Bath?" She questioned, her lips curling in a teasing smile.

"Don't judge." he said but he could see there was a light dancing in her eyes as she shook her head.

"Thank you." She said and he merely nodded.

"If you need anything else just ask, I'll be right outside." He said reassuring her, feeling the slight anxiety that had begun to spike as he moved to make his exit.

"Ok." She said with a breath to relax herself. He turned and exited closing the door behind him. "A thousand year old vampire that takes bubble baths... now I've seen everything." He could hear her say to herself through the door.

"I heard that." He called out and he was rewarded with the delightful trill of her laughter. He went about making the room presentable and it wasn't long before the luscious scent of coconut and lime reached him. He summoned Pam and had her return the clothes and choose clothes that were tailored for comfort not looks. Which she agreed to after much eye rolling and sarcastic posturing.

A sudden swell of anger and pain filled him and with it came the realization that Taryn had remembered just where they'd been before she'd fallen ill. He knew it was only a matter of time before her memory recovered. With a sigh he moved to the bed and sat down, shifting to rest his back against the head board. He wondered if her fear would be enough to make her stay or would her anger make her bite the bullet and return to her room. He hoped for the former.

He had to figure out a way to fix this with Taryn, whatever it was. After caring for her these past four days he couldn't deny he'd grown attached to her. He wanted her, that was for sure and he knew that somewhere deep down that even if she was his, willingly his, she'd still never really be his... and the constant paradox was perfect for him. He'd never get bored, she'd always be a challenge.

When the door finally opened, Eric was ready to launch into a conversation to get to the bottom of their previous estrangement, but the sight of her erased all thoughts and halted all of his motor functions. She stood there in the doorway to the bathroom in the satin button down pajama top that fell to her mid thigh, a pair of white socks and the pajama pants were unworn in her hands.

"What?" She questioned, giving him a confused and and wary glare.

"Nothing, I just wasn't expecting you to come out like that."

"Oh... I was drowning in the pants, the legs are like a foot too long, so I thought it would be much safer to forgo the pants since the shirts long enough to keep covered up." She said as she put the pants back in the draw she saw him take them out from and he could tell from her movements that she was stalling. This wasn't looking promising.

…

"Taryn... we should talk." Eric said and Taryn inwardly cringed. She didn't want to talk. She wished she wasn't so frightened of her room so she could return... she was so confused and really wanted time alone to filter through all her thoughts but she didn't have that luxury.

"Talk about what?" She questioned trying to sound nonchalant. Maybe if she played dumb there would be no talk.

"Well there's a lot to talk about, about why you started going into shock, and about the fact that you're mad at me again." He said.

"I'm not mad at you." She responded quickly.

"Lying isn't very becoming of you Taryn." He stated and she turned to glare at him.

"I'm not lying." She stated icily.

"Well then what do you call telling someone who can clearly feel your emotions that your not feeling something that they know you are?" He stated calmly.

"I'm mad now because you called me a liar... but before I wasn't lying. I'm not mad at you... I'm mad at me." She stated and the second that admission left her lips she regretted it.

"Why?" He asked.

"Just it's not important, I'll get over it." She said trying to brush it off.

"For once Taryn will you stop fighting to keep me out, just once will you talk to me." He yelled and took a calming breath, one hand lifting to pinch the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache. "Look, I don't want to yell at you, but Gods you are the most frustrating woman I've ever met and when you take in to consideration how old I am and how many women I've met that's quite a feat." He grumbled behind his hand. She couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips, she had to say that the fact that she got under his skin just as much as he got under hers was rather comical. "You find that amusing I see?" He stated.

"Well yeah, I mean I can only imagine how many women you've been a gigantic pain in the ass to, to find out that I'm the only one that's been able to turn the tables on you is kinda funny." She stated and she was surprised to hear him laugh, and watched as his face sobered slightly.

"Look can we try doing this like the adults we actually are, and not the children we're acting like." He said and if he hadn't used the pronoun of we she would have probable gotten pissed, with a sigh and a nod she moved to the bed finally taking a spot next to him. She sat at first facing him and cross legged, making sure the shirt laid properly across her lap.

"Where do we start?" She questioned him lightly and he sat up straighter.

"Well how about with the easy part... why did you freak out when you saw the flowers?" He questioned and she flinched not really wanting to remember that all again.

"I'm sure you figured it out already." She responded. She watched him lift a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose once more.

"Yes I can figure it out, but I'd rather hear you say it, so I know for sure and we can start this communicating thing off on the right foot." He said from behind his hand.

"Right... sorry I just don't particularly like remembering it and sharing information about myself is not my forte... I freaked out because that's the exact same flower 'he'd' leave behind to let me know he'd found me. Why did you get me flowers in the first place, let alone those?"

"Well over the course of a thousand years I've picked up the knack of telling what a woman's favorite flower is. You are beautiful yet surprisingly refined, it was pretty obvious to go with the calla lily, I chose black because I wanted you to know for sure they were from me even before you saw the card, cause really who else was going to give you black flowers... little did know know I wasn't the first."

"They were my favorite flower and color, it's why he used it as a sign he'd found me. Took something I loved and turned it against me... Bad Guy 101." She said with a shrug. "So why did you get me flowers anyway?"

"Well it was your first performance, it's gentlemanly to congratulate a woman on a good performance by giving her flowers, also I did it to smooth things over between us, so I could find out why you were mad at me."

"I wasn't mad at you." She said a little exasperated.

"You were mad at yourself." He countered

"Yeah." She stated her voice a little harsh.

"Do you always get mad at yourself when you feel petty emotions like jealousy?" He queried.

"Oh please, I wasn't jealous." She stated, her intonation speaking clearly that she could never be jealous of someone like ginger, or more likely admit to it.

"So seeing my head between her legs did nothing?" He said and she couldn't stop the swell of bitter anger that filled her and knowing that Eric felt it too only made the anger worse. "That... that right there is what I'm talking about. You didn't like it and you're not talking to me because of it, you can't deny it. Just like I didn't like seeing you in arms of the mutt." He blurted out and sudden realization dawned on her and she watched his face register exactly what he'd said.

"Is that what this was all about, you were jealous about Alcide and I, so you decided to get back at me?" She questioned her voice rising with her anger.

"No." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"Now who's lying." She spat out at him, he proceeded to heave a heavy sigh.

"This is not how I wanted this to go." He said resting his head back against the wall and looking at the ceiling. "I didn't lure you into the room to see me feeding on Ginger Taryn, if you remember I didn't send for you, you came on your own, but yes I did have enough time to pull away so that you wouldn't have had to see me in such a precarious position, I had a few moments to move and I decided not to, I wanted to see if it would make you jealous, after watching the security feed from that morning and watching you flirt with Alcide, I was, well doubting how much the evening before meant to you. If it's any consolation I regret it now, but it wasn't some elaborate scheme to hurt you Taryn. I truly mean that. I was only feeding."

"From the femoral artery... that's a bit intimate don't you think."

"Yes it is, but I swear to you nothing of that nature has ever transpired between Ginger and I. I have only fed on Ginger, that is it. I needed to feed but I doubted you would have liked me going into the crowd and seducing some random woman into letting me feed or glamoring an unwilling person into it either. Ginger has allowed me to feed in the past and there has never been any emotional connection in the past so I figured she was the lesser evil. I didn't take into consideration how she felt about you, and didn't think to look for some sort of manipulation."

"What do you mean felt about me?"

"She doesn't like you Taryn. Ginger... wants to be one of us, she hopes that if she stays loyal and sticks around long enough we will eventually turn her. Since she's the only one that we allow around us so often she figured she had it in the bag. Till you came around. The other girls they show up for work and then leave, but you, in just two nights of knowing us, move in, your prettier, younger. She thought you had come in and taken her place so... when I asked if I could feed she decided to use that opportunity to stake her claim and get one up on you. If you hadn't walked in she was going to show you."

"And you know this how?"

"I had Pam glamour it out of her after, but I didn't' know this at the time Taryn. I asked if I could feed and she said only if it was from the femoral artery. I've had others ask me for the same request so it didn't seem odd to me, and I didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth."

"So Ginger hates me." She said once everything had finally soaked in.

"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore." He stated.

"Why not?" She asked, eying him warily.

"Well because she no longer works here." He declared simply.

"You fired her?" Taryn asked unable to keep the astonished tone out of her voice.

"No I had Pam glamour her into accepting a new position in one of my other establishments. It's closer to her home and pays more. Her intention was to hurt you and drive you away from me... if it had been anyone else... they wouldn't be breathing right now." He stated and she could feel a chill run down her spine at his words cause she knew he wasn't lying and that kind of devotion both scared and thrilled her.

"Can I ask you a question?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"You may."

"Your security cameras... they aren't wired for sound are they?" She asked the darkness that clouded his eyes told her the answer long before he spoke.

"No they aren't."He stated coolly.

"I figured." She responded nonchalantly.

"Why's that?"

"Because if the camera's had sound, you'd already know there was no reason to be jealous."

"Taryn I felt that swell of emotion when you arrived in the morning, I wasn't out yet. I know that you have feelings for Alcide... and I saw how you were with him on the video. I didn't need to hear you, there was an ease to your demeanor that you don't have with me." He responded, his voice surprisingly soft.

"Ok... I'll admit... Alcide is good looking, and on first meeting those looks are a bit overwhelming, but I don't know. I got to talking with him and he's a very relaxing presence. I get along with men better than I do women, Eric. I always have. Even though I had a twin sister... I was always closest with my brother. We were thick as thieves, growing up I was one of the guys. It helps me cultivate relationships with men easier than with women. I mean look at what happened with Ginger and you understand why. But I don't have feelings for Alcide. If you had sound on your security cameras you'd have heard that. I spent most of the morning making fun of him, and saying thing like he's the lunarly challenged."

"Really."

"Yeah." She said sheepishly. "But you don't have to worry about anything more than just a friendship developing between Alcide and I." She stated matter-of-factly but her stomach started doing somersaults.

"Why is that?"He queried and she could tell that her emotions had clued him in cause he seemed just a little too interested.

"You know why." She stated coyly.

"If I knew why I wouldn't ask." He stated but something in the tone told her that he wasn't exactly telling the truth just trying to milk the answer out of her... she also got the feeling he wasn't going to stop until she cracked and told him the answer.

"Well... because the way you're worried about how I feel about Alcide... is actually how I feel for you." She said sheepishly and before he could remark she moved on. "So are we cool now. You know I wasn't flirting with Alcide hours after we kissed and I know you weren't feeding from Ginger's femoral artery to make me jealous on purpose."

"Yes all that's settled but there's still one more thing I have to go over with you."

"What?"

"Feeding, I need to feed and you won't let me feed from you, so we have to figure out what will bother you the least."

"Eric I really have no right to tell you who you can and can't feed from." She stated.

"Yes you do Taryn... because I say you do. I don't want to upset you and have to go through this every time I have to feed. So... let's come to a compromise. I have a feeling that simply seducing women is out of the question, so tell me what bother's you least."

"You drinking Tru Blood would definitely bother me least." she offered up as a suggestion.

"Well I won't do that so, this is where the compromise comes in." He said and she wasn't surprised that he refused her idea.

"I dont know Eric." She said.

"Would it help if you were present?" He asked and she had to think long and hard about it.

"I don't think it would."

"Ok then... what would help?"

"I don't know." She said starting to feel a little overwhelmed.

"Think Taryn, I have to feed and I won't do Tru Blood... the rest is up to you."

"Well... would you hate only feeding from men." She asked timidly and watched him give a wide grin. "What?"

"Nothing just seeing how territorial you are is very endearing." He said, that grin never leaving.

"Don't make me regret this conversation Eric." She warned and he laughed lightly.

"Fine... no I wouldn't mind only feeding from men, but you should know that I'm not … as opposed to the opposite sex as most men are." He said and she could see that he was watching her, waiting for a reaction, see if he shocked her with his revelation.

"Ok." Was all she said and he raised an eyebrow at her. "What were you expecting me to freak out, first off we live in a world where vampires and werewolves and who knows what else exists, do you really expect me to bat an eye at a bisexual male, and secondly I know how old you are and where you came from... men in that age were all about brotherhood and the bond between men." She said with a mischievous smile and could see his smirk in return. "So can I ask you something?"

"You may."

"How much did you enjoy feeding from Alcide?" She said with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows. He gave her an incredulous look that only made her giggle.

"Oh that's it." He said and it was the only warning she had before reached out and gripped her waist and tossed her down on the bed, more giggle erupting from her lips, but as his weight settled between her thighs and his hands held her's fast above her head, the giggles stopped. There was a moment of pure unadulterated lust that ripped through her as they merely stared at each other, completely motionless. Then Eric's hips settled in a little deeper pressing his hard length against her center, and a moan erupted from her lips at the feel of it. Eric had warned her of an increased libido, but it hadn't prepared her for this.

Eric and her lips searched for each others simultaneously and met with a groan on both of their parts. His hands holding her, the weight of him above her pressing her down gently into the mattress all added to the sudden overwhelming lust. As his hips gently rocked against her, his tongue seeking out hers she felt like her whole body was throbbing. She strained against his hold and felt the vibration of his growl of approval against her chest, as she tested his hold and couldn't escape.

He switched his grip on her wrists so that his one hand held both of hers and his other hand traipsed her body, but unlike the night of their first kiss he didn't skirt away and stay appropriate. His fingers dragged down the soft fabric to cup her breast in his hand, and her back arched to press more of her flesh into his palm. They practically fed at each others mouths. Moans and whimpers escaped her lips between kisses as his fingers moved to do something devilish with her nipple.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, pressing her more firmly against his length and tilting so it hit her just right. His hand moved away from her breast to slide down to her leg gripping the thigh and holding it in place against his hip before sliding up to grasp her bottom, a very masculine groan rumbling in his chest as he squeezed her flesh in his hand, all the while his hips rocked gently and rhythmically against her.

She groaned in frustration when he pulled his hips away from her's but suddenly the feel of his cool fingers running gently down the soft black lace of her panties had her breaking the kiss to kick her head back with a gasp. He gave a very satisfied chuckle as his lips moved to torture her neck. She then felt the very soft and precise scratch of his fangs dragging ever so gently over the curve of her neck. She shivered wondering if he'd simply take a taste or ask her permission, but he was intent to suck and lick and gently nip at her skin, all the while his fingers dragged up and down her cloth covered core. He finally let go of her hands and they moved to his hair and to claw at his back. When they met the cloth of his shirt she quickly and almost violently pulled at the which he helped in removing it, before resuming his former position.

Her hands moved over the cool soft skin of his muscular back, nails scratching as he teased her relentlessly. She was just to the point of begging, whimpers spilling past her lips in and unending stream, when she felt one finger slide under the cloth to pull it aside. Then she heard him growl and it wasn't the pleasant growls of before, and she knew instantly that something was wrong.

"Pam, I'm busy, come back later." He practically roared.

"Well that is hardly any way to talk to me Mr. Northman... Now please get up so I can get a good look at this beautiful phenomenon I've been hearing so much about." The cool unfamiliar voice froze Eric in place and instantly sent a trill of fear with in her. Who was this strange woman that Eric's frame blocked from her view and why did her presence worry Eric... and what did that mean for her since she was obviously the topic of conversation. Gods all these questions and no answers, just when she felt safest, most comfortable, something always had to come in and ruin it, but it all came with the territory... when you were crushing on a vampire.

* * *

_**Chapter Title/Song Lyrics**_

_**"Build a Bridge" by Limp Bizkit**_

Build a bridge to your mind  
Takes me there everytime  
Lay it all on the line  
If there's a way  
Build a bridge, make a path  
Overlook the aftermath  
Make my tears be your bath  
If there's a way  
Only if you'll take a ride  
Go with me to the other side

**Even though it's gonna crumble down**  
I'll keep building till you come around  
Even though it's gonna fall apart, break my heart  
I'll keep building 'till i die

Build a bridge of memories  
Stretch it out overseas  
To the end of the world  
If there's a way  
Build a bridge made of pain  
Send my longing down the drain  
Have no reasons to complain  
If there's a way  
Only if you'll take a ride  
Go with me to the other side

Even though it's gonna crumble down  
I'll keep building till you come around  
Even though it's gonna fall apart, break my heart  
I'll keep building 'till i die

Wait... wait for me...wait... please wait for me

Wait... wait for me...wait... please wait for me

Even though it's gonna crumble down  
I'll keep building till you come around  
Even though it's gonna fall apart, break my heart  
I'll keep building 'till i die

Even though it's gonna crumble down  
I'll keep building till you come around  
Even though it's gonna fall apart, break my heart  
I'll keep building 'till i die


	19. Always I take your fall

**A/N: Ok this is kind of a filler chapter and I apologize for that but they are necessary at times. I was going to have much more in this chapter but then I thought it would be best to have what follows this chapter have it's own chapter. So now it's looking like the final count on chapters is 33, which again may change, depending on how I write the story, I may want to cut off chapters to up the anticipation or just help the flow of the story. **

**Make sure to check my profile for new stuff on the story and updates. I did make a banner for the story that you can check out, as well as a photoshoped pic of what Taryn looks like to me, and I have videos of Taryn's performances. Oh and still looking for a Beta, anyone interested or know someone who is?**

**Oh and don't forget to try your hand at the "What is Taryn" Contest. Look forward to your entries. As we get closer I will give you clues, or more likely things you shouldn't be focusing on. I'll steer you away from the from the wrong answers rather than lead you towards the right one. Good Luck!**

**Big thank you goes out to , Jensi, mixmatched9, Just Wait and See, blueicefireNINJA4, Textcrazy, amroberts17, Night Owls, brandibukeye, Calliope's Inspiration, ChristabelLaMotte, ThatGirl54, cherrytattoo, and sxevlbtch. Of course thank you to all my readers. Hope you enjoy and as always please please Read and Review. **

* * *

Eric's hands moved from their precarious position and smoothed the shirt back down so that she was covered before he moved away from her. He stood and faced the woman who Taryn now saw was a striking red-head with a piercing set of blue-gray eyes. Her hair was soft tumble of finger waves, a look Taryn tried and could never accomplish in all her years of trying and the make up was dramatic yet simple, a very forties flare, and the elegant gossamer blouse with the pencil skirt and floor length, pure white mink coat she wore only amped up the drama. She was a gorgeous woman, except for the fact that she now looked down at Taryn with pure unadulterated hunger and lust.

Eric stood from the bed but didn't reach down to help her up, he actually didn't even look at her or speak to her. She looked up at his profile while he proceeded to drop his head, gaze shifting downward so he wouldn't look the woman in the eye. If Eric's stiffness dragged a chill down her spine just seconds before, the fact that he didn't want or couldn't look this woman in the eye completely froze her blood in her veins, it was the only way to describe the paralyzing cold that over came her.

"Your Majesty I had no idea it was you, if I had know I would never have spoken to you, My Queen, in such a manner." Eric said and Taryn could see the tenseness in his muscles. She knew he hated having to debase himself to this woman, but since he was, there was only one clear reason as to why... he had no other choice. Taryn still rested on the bed, knowing that it would do nothing but draw the Queen's lascivious attention, she'd never been granted the ability to move, and with Eric playing the subversive follower it would be best for her to play the same card but a million times more inferior.

"That's fine Mr. Northman, just don't let it happen again." She said distractedly, eyes never leaving Taryn while Taryn fought not to look her in the eyes. "Was I interrupting anything?" She questioned eyes finally flicking away and without the weight of her gaze Taryn finally felt like she was capable of breathing, the breath came out in a soft sigh but no matter how soft it was the Queen's eyes returned to it's unwavering glare of her body. "Because if I was I'd permit you to finish... as long as I could stay that is." She tacked on and Taryn could tell her eyes had fallen on the small black lace panties and they froze there as if she stared long enough the lace would simply melt away. Taryn allowed her a moment to flick her gaze to Eric who was also looking at her, and the stoic mask she saw was not comforting... also the fact that he didn't speak up to tell the Queen she hadn't interrupted anything was not reassuring.

"No." The word left her lips a little louder than she'd intended, and when both eyes fell upon her, Eric with that stoic and cold gaze doubled with the Queen's slightly displeased glance, she froze. Swallowing hard on the lump of fear caught in her throat, threatening to choke her, she forced her mind to think and think fast. Her tongue darted out to wet what felt like chapped lips, and the Queen's eyes quickly followed it trek, and Taryn knew from the heat within her gaze that she would have only one card to play here. Since Eric wasn't doing anything to help them out of whatever jam they were in for whatever reason, it was up to her, because right now only she had a way of distracting the Queen. "You weren't interrupting anything, your majesty." She added on into the silence and the Queens eyes met her's once more and she purposefully let them catch her gaze before looking away as bashfully as she could muster.

"Pity... I could have used a good show, since I missed yours a few days ago." The Queen purred and Taryn was worried that's she'd order them to have sex right there and then for her entertainment anyway, but then her attention snapped away to Eric. "I hear it was all the rage, a sight not to be missed." She said eyes not intent upon Eric.

"Well you're Majesty, that is quite an easy fix. We're closed for business tonight and I'm sure Taryn wouldn't mind putting on a repeat performance just for you." He said his voice cold yet polite, his hand extended to Taryn but his eyes didn't follow the gesture. Regardless of his detached manner Taryn took the hand and let him pull her to her feet by his side. The Queen's eyes followed her trek like a tiger in cage.

"I'd love to." Taryn added on, keeping her gaze away from Eric and off of the Queen's eyes. She didn't need the woman to try and glamour her, if that happened and when she realized she failed, they'd all be in really deep shit, and it seemed like they were waist high in it already.

"I'm glad to hear that, except as much as I like this establishment Eric, it is hardly the proper place to really enjoy this little morsel and all her talents... don't you agree Mr. Northman." She purred dangerously.

"Of course your majesty." He answered automatically.

"Good I'm glad, I'll give you time to get your affairs in order. I'll expect you at the manor in no less than two hours. You'll be spending the day, as I'm sure you've already figured out." The Queen said icily before turning her eyes back to Taryn. The Queen lifted her hand and her fingers reached out to touch Taryn's face but a bass and dangerous growl rumbling past Eric's lips had her pausing and flicking her eyes Eric before dropping her hand and turning swiftly and exiting in a bounce of red hair. Only when the door closed behind her did Taryn turn to Eric, eyes searching his face, but his eyes were trained to the empty space the Queen had just occupied.

"Am I going to get any kind of explanation out of you?" She said, aggravation coloring her words.

"Probably not as much of one as you'd like." He said as he turned away from her and towards his closet, eyes never meeting hers. Then the clack of heels she'd come to associate with Pam sounded behind her and sure enough, when Taryn turned, there she was.

"What does she want Eric?" Pam asked and the fact that her normally sarcastic manner was gone, again spoke of the severity of their situation.

"A visit, from me and Taryn." He said cooly.

"You've got to be shittin me." Pam spat out and Taryn was reduced to sitting on the bed and watching them argue. "What if she figures out your little dancer has some secrets, She'll kill us for not bringing the little bitch to her." Pam spoke in their native Swedish, forgetting that Taryn was fluent. Eric turned then and gave Pam a glare, he opened his mouth to speak but Taryn beat him to it.

"Please don't speak of the little bitch like she's not present." Taryn spoke back to her in Swedish, which gave Pam pause but that cool and angry glare soon returned to her features.

"I'll speak to you however I want to." Pam stated coolly.

"No Pam, you will speak to her however I say is fit for you to speak to her, and childish name calling is really beneath you but if I must forbid you from using it I will. I have much I have to discus and a hell of a lot to figure out with little time to do so. Pam do not make this any harder on me by distracting me and picking a fight. Now will you please pick out an outfit for Taryn that the Queen is sure to love and Taryn will not hate too much." Eric stated while pulling out a charcoal gray suit from his closet with a black shirt and charcoal gray tie. With a slight huff Pam left the room.

"What's going on Eric?" She said and finally Eric looked at her, and the worried and scared look in his eyes as they finally met hers was when it all finally locked into place. She'd been getting small hints at how bad this was, but when she saw that Eric Northman, stoic, smart ass, confident, Eric Northman was scared... then she needed to be completely terrified.

**…**

This evening was turning out to be a grand ole cluster fuck. It has started out with good, with news that Taryn was stable and in the clear, then she'd awoken and they'd fought, but that only led to them laying out as many cards as they were comfortable sharing on the table, a big breakthrough for the both of them.

Then those moments when she'd been in his arms, writhing and gasping, her body heating up at his touch, that had been... utterly amazing. The feel of Taryn's supple skin, the sounds of her fervent moans, the sight of her body flush with excitement, the honey taste of her mouth, and the smell, the smell of her completely ripe for the taking. It was an experience to behold, to be cherished only slightly less than he would cherish the feel of being able to swim in cool waters under a hot sun once more.

Then that bitch had to come in and ruin it all. What did she want? She couldn't know about Taryn, hell he didn't even really know about Taryn, he was still grasping at straws as to what she was, how could the Queen know anything about it. Him, Alcide, and Pam were the only...

Eric paused as realization dawned on him. There was two other people that knew there was something up with Taryn, and one of those people he didn't trust. Bill Compton. If indeed the Queen had grown wise to the mystery of Taryn, Eric knew exactly how she'd found out, and if anything happened to Taryn... Bill Compton was dead.

With angry hands he tore off his shirt and removed his pants, and the strangled gasp that sounded to his left had him turning to see an obviously blushing Taryn with her head turned and hands covering her eyes. Regardless of the situation, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Well that answers that question." He heard her muttering, knowing she was simply talking to fill what was awkward silence to her. He resumed dressing, not having the time to mess with her like he wished he could.

"What question?" He asked as he pulled on the suit pants and zipped them up.

"Girls always wonder one thing about men... boxers or briefs... and now I know that in the case of Eric Northman the answer is Commando." She said softly and he chuckled and once the pants were buttoned she dropped her hands to look at him again and he could see the light blush across her cheeks.

"Get a good look there?" He questioned as he reached for his shirt with a mischievous smile.

She began to shake her head no, but he could see the slight twinkle of laughter in her eyes, and sure enough. "Yes." came out of her mouth with a soft chuckle. "Not that I was trying to, your pants were off before I could even register what was going on, and like a lady, I looked away." She said her tone moving to slightly defensive.

"Taryn... you are nothing, if not a lady." He said as he began buttoning up his shirt. "A sometimes foul mouthed lady... but a lady not the less." He said and he could see her lips curl into a smirk out of the corner of his eye.

"Thank you... so are we going to talk about what' going on or am I going to be left completely in the dark here?" She questioned and sure enough that's when Pam decided to enter, tossing a pile of clothes on the bed next to her.

"I gave you a choice." Pam drawled, hands moving to rest on her hips as she scowled.

"Thank you." Taryn said softly, and Eric could see the slight quirk of her eyes, and he knew that Pam hadn't expected any kind of gratitude.

"You're welcome, when will we be leaving?" Pam then asked turning to him.

"Taryn and I will be leaving as soon as she is dressed, you will stay here, if anything should happen to me you are not to come to my rescue, you are to go to anyone of the human's staff's home and hide there and make your way to Huston and pledge your fealty to Isabel, she should take you in no questions asked." He said, wishing there was a way to keep Taryn safe as well but if they failed in this tonight they were both dead. At least he could keep one person safe and he was determined to do so.

"Eric..." She started to complain but he cut her off.

"As your maker I command you." He said coolly and watched as Pam narrowed her eyes and then turned in a huff and left them alone.

"So you were gonna tell me what's going on." Taryn said as she began looking over the pile of clothes and shoes.

"Well that woman was Queen Sophie Anne." He stated buttoning up the sleeves of his shirt.

"Queen of what?" She asked as she stood, dress, shoes and necessary and matching undergarments piled in her hands. She then motioned for Eric to turn around. He gave her a glare, He'd just had her half naked in his arms and his hands in very precarious places, yet she wanted him to turn around when she changed. He went to open his mouth to complain but she cut him off.

"I don't wanna hear it Eric, we don't have the time, just turn around." She said and even though there was joking in her tone he heard the underlying wariness and she was right. They didn't have the time so he turned.

"Queen Sophie Anne is the vampire Queen of Louisiana, which means she's My Queen and I her loyal subject." He said not able to keep the vehement loathing out of the words loyal subject.

"Ok so what's going on, what do we have to do to navigate the shit creek we so often seem to find ourselves on... Sans paddle and all." She said as he heard the clothes she was wearing now hit the floor followed by the soft scratch of the cloth then being pulled against her skin as she dressed. Gods, knowing exactly what was going on behind his back was not helping his concentration at all.

"Well I'm hoping that we go, we entertain the Queen, and she'll let us leave the next night after many many rounds of kissing ass and Yahtzee."

"Yahtzee?" She questioned and he heaved a very defeated sigh. "Yes the Queen loves to play Yahtzee, it's a game of chance so human and vampires are all on an equal playing field, which isn't true with many other games considering our enhanced reflexes and senses. She always wins, and do what ever you can to make sure that doesn't change."

"Ok... so that's best case scenario, which as much as we'd like to hope that's the case... knowing our luck it's not. So give me worst case scenario Eric." She said and he heard her picking up the pile of clothes from the floor. "You can turn around now." She tacked on and he did. Everything stopped as his eyes landed upon her.

She'd picked a black lace dress that was almost see through, bits of skin showed through the the lace but it was still dense enough that there was no fear of it being obscene. The dress clung to her body like a second skin and all down the sides large patches of fabric were missing, so that there were only straps of lace keeping the dress intact. It was enough skin to surely entice the Queen without being suspicious or inappropriate. His eyes finally lifted to Taryn's eyes and he could see a slight smile upon her face, she then took the few steps forward and her hand lifted slowly till her fingers brushed his chin. She then processed to apply a little pressure, moving her hand upwards and his chin with it. Only when his bottom lip met his top lip did he realize he'd literally been gawking, complete with wide eyes and gaping maw.

"Worst case scenario..." She prompted and he gave a slight shake of his head.

"Right, well worst case scenario, is she knows you're... well that there is more to you than meets the eye. " He mention and he could the slight amusement she'd had on her features completely melt away.

"That's not good."

"No that's not good. If she doesn't know and only suspects we will simply give her nothing to go on. One thing I know for sure is this meeting is about getting a read on you, and our relationship. The best plan I have is that you are my... pet, and it will go over the best if you play the willing and subservient party. You belong to me and wish to only please me, nothing is more important to you than that... if we can pull it off... she'll let us go." He said and Taryn gave a nod, but he could feel the fact that she wasn't happy with the part she had to play in their little act. "It will also require us to at least appear that we've been far more intimate than we've actually been."

"Ok, be submissive and polite... and no squeamishness. I think I can handle it." She said with another nod.

"Don't think Taryn... do, we have no room for error." he stated and she gave him a wary glare. She closed her eyes and took a great breath before releasing it slowly. When she reopened her eyes all the wariness was gone.

"Ok. So can I call you Eric, or should I refer to you as Sir, Master." She said and the Master came out in a tone that spoke clearly that he'd end up paying for that later.

"Sir is fine, with an Eric thrown in here and there." He said and he could feel her relax slightly. She heaved a sigh and stood up straighter.

"I guess the time for stalling is over." She said and he nodded. He lead her from the room and up the basement stairs to the back door. They didn't pass Pam on their way out and he had a feeling he wouldn't. Pam and he were horrible at goodbyes and since this was quite possibly a goodbye they both shied away from it.

When they'd reached the outside he turned to Taryn and proceeded to lift her into his arms. She gave a surprise yelp and he couldn't help but smirk.

"I thought you were going to take the car." She said begrudgingly as she rested in his arms, her hands moving to wrap around his shoulders to make the position more comfortable.

"This is much faster." Was the only warning he made before he lifted off the ground and sent the soaring into the air.

* * *

_**Chapter Title/Song Lyrics**_

_**"Vulgar before me" by Candlebox**_

_To you. Seperation, only to put it down.  
To you. Desperation, only to be around.  
So on and so under, misdirected in other words.  
Always I wonder is there anything I can do for you?  
Anything I can do? Well I can do anything...  
_

_To some, I've been singled out, __**always I take your fall**__.  
To some, same and broken down,  
All we've left is dropping around you.  
And you know these lines they're open ended.  
These books were meant to be followed,  
And your rules left to be read...  
Is there anything I can do?  
I can do anything. I can do anything,  
_

_It's vulgar before me...  
Is there anything I can do?  
I can do anything. I can do anything.  
It's vulgar before me, vulgar before me...  
Vulgar before me, vulgar before me.  
Vulgar, vulgar before me.  
_

_Anything I can do?  
I can do anything. I can do anything.  
Vulgar before me, vulgar before me..._


End file.
